


Pidgeunzel Stories

by CircusTalia



Series: Pidgeunzel AU [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rapunzel Fusion, F/M, M/M, Rapunzel Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2018-11-08 17:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 50,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CircusTalia/pseuds/CircusTalia
Summary: This is a series of shorts that are related to my fanfic, Pidgeunzel. They aren't a part of the main story, though I suggest readers read the orignal fic before reading these ficlets. Some shorts will take place prior to, in between, and after events. As an added bonus there will be a couple of what-if scenarios. I hope you enjoy.





	1. Lance the Dragon Slayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever wondered how Lance recounted the night he, Prince Shiro, and Keith met Allura and Coran? Is his version anything like what really happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this scenario takes place the first time Hunk and Lance go out into the forest together (after the conversation that leads them to realize how alike they are) while the second part of the scenario is within Chapter 13: Peace of Mind.

Hunk and Lance continued searching around the forest. A squirrel flew by Hunk, causing him to scream. Lance looked at him unimpressed.

"Seriously? You've been in this forest longer than I have and yet you're still scared of every little creature that passes by?"

"Being around scary stuff doesn't make it any less scary," Hunk defended. "And you have nothing to show for your own bravery. You haven't been around the same man-eating plants and monsters as I have."

"That, my frightened guide, is not true," Lance said. "For you see, I have actually saved a princess before."

"You have? Yeah, right."

"Oh, it's true." Lance pushed Hunk down and he took a seat on a stump across from him. "Allow me to tell you the tale of how I discovered a long lost princess.

"It was at the beginning of the year. Prince Shiro graced me with his presence as he entered my office. He beheld pleading eyes on his face as he approached me, asking me, Captain of the Guard, to go with him to a town."

"Which town?"

"Doesn't matter. Anyway, there was no way I could deny my gracious Prince and I knew that he had come to me because he didn't fully trust that overglorified servant of his: Keith. And so, for the good of the kingdom and the protection of my ruler, I agreed to go on this expedition. Once we reached the town, there wasn't much to do. The Prince couldn't go out, and Keith was sleeping on the job. I tried to call him out on it, but he dismissed me at every turn. It was up to me to be on the lookout for the Prince, even if it meant turning away my fans."

"You have fans?"

"Yes, Hunk. Now let me finish the story. It was dusk when Keith decided it was a good idea to use a horn that was clearly meant to call dragons. When he blew it, all three of us could see a large, red dragon with a stupid looking mullet flying in the distance. We evacuated the townsfolk, but Keith did nothing to stop the dragon. Luckily, the dragon flew past the town and instead went somewhere we hadn't seen before. The Prince and I investigated, only to discover a ruined city hidden within the depths of the outskirts of the town. The ugly red dragon was guarding a temple, but I knew that it wanted to keep whatever was inside for itself. I told the Prince that I would go fight this monster and the Prince, shivering in fear, said, 'Oh, Lance, such a brave and noble soul. I knew I could count on you. Unlike Keith.' And I was like, 'Prince Shiro, I am neither brave nor noble. I am simply doing the right thing.' And so, I pulled out my sword and went into combat with the dragon. The dragon was tough, but I was tougher. I slayed the beast and it toppled down to the ground. But curiosity soon possessed me as I entered the temple to see what the dragon wanted. And there, lying on a bed of flowers was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. She looked so peaceful and yet so helpless. I don't know why, but I could hear a gentle voice urging me to kiss her. And so I did. 

"She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw me. She told me her name was Princess Allura. The Princess put her arms around my neck and I carried her out of the temple. Oh, and I guess my kiss also woke up her advisor Coran, but that's not important. The Prince, Keith, and I learned that Princess Allura used to rule a kingdom called Altea, but that was like thousands of years ago. So, I recommended to Prince Shiro that Princess Allura become a member of the royal court and Prince Shiro agreed. When we got back to the castle, Princess Allura dubbed me her personal knight and Prince Shiro didn't stop singing praises of my plight."

Hunk's eyes were wide and his hands were folded together. "Wow, that is such an amazing story. I didn't realize how truly impressive you were, Lance."

"I know," Lance responded. "But between you and me, we should keep our little storytime to ourselves. Prince Shiro, the kind and compassionate ruler that he is, feels rather embarrassed whenever I relay the story to others. He feels embarrassed for him and Keith."

"I won't say a word."

* * *

Sometime when the whole group had been searching for the flower together and stopped to rest, and with Pidge staying behind preoccupied with something else, a flying lizard popped up in front of Lance and he screamed. 

"Stand back, monster!" Lance threatened, holding his sword out.

The monster flew past the group without a care. Hunk looked at him in confusion. "Lance, why are you scared of this little thing? Haven't you faced bigger and more threatening dragons?"

Prince Shiro and Keith paused, both turning their heads slowly and with scowls on their faces.

Lance laughed nervously. "Hehe, why Hunk, whatever are you talking about?"

"What? You were the one who told me about how you slayed that dragon."

Prince Shiro and Keith's faces were turning red. 

"Hunk, what did I say about keeping that to ourselves?" Lance said through a forceful smile.

Hunk shrugged. "What? It's not like I mentioned the other parts of the story involving Shiro and Keith. Although, now that I think about it, how can a dragon have a mullet?"

Prince Shiro's arm was glowing. Lance backed away until he felt something hit his head. 

"Ow! Hey!" Lance's attention turned to Pidge. "What was that for?"

"Oh, sorry, Lance. That was an accident," Pidge called out from her spot. 

Lance looked at Prince Shiro. "Your highness, the little gremlin dwarf is attacking me!"

"Good," Prince Shiro replied. "Because if she hadn't hit you, I would have. And don't call her 'gremlin dwarf.' You're in enough trouble as it is."

 "What did I do?"

"You know exactly what you did," Keith said. 

Prince Shiro proceeded to tell Hunk the real story of how they met Allura and Coran. When Prince Shiro and his men returned to the castle that evening, Lance was selected as the target for Keith to practice his aim on.


	2. Allura in Charge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into how Allura ran things while Prince Shiro was away.

Allura had seen Shiro and his boys off, the three of them riding past the castle gates. She didn't like having to stay behind, particularly because Haggar was still an ever-present threat who could attack at a moment's notice. However, Allura didn't know anyone else that could help Shiro run the kingdom. She was a princess, despite having been asleep for ten thousand years. She turned around with Coran by her side as she entered the castle again, ready to take on the duties as temporary ruler. 

After Shiro made Allura and Coran members of his court, the two were taught about the changes that occurred in the past ten millenia as well as the customs that were present in Garrison. It was a lot to take in, but Allura managed to tackle through these changes for her father taught her how to be an adaptable leader. The one thing that was still shocking to her was that there weren't very many natural-born magic users. In Altea, it was rare for someone to be born without magic. In Garrison, people stared at her for so much as levitating small objects. It wasn't that she didn't like the attention; it saddened her that the people of the current age weren't able to wield the same power she and Coran had. She not only lost her father and kingdom, but the one connection she had with the common people as well. 

Allura did not let that stop her from her duties, however. She carried on, holding her head up high. 

"What's first on the list, Coran?" Allura asked.

Coran took out a scroll. "First things first, you must check the reports in regards to crops and irrigation. After that, you must attend a meeting with a group of business owners who would like to be approved to attend the next gala. The rest of the day will consist of you listening to the concerns of citizens who have made appointments to seek an audience with you. Well, I suppose they had made the appointments with Prince Shiro in mind, but we haven't had any complaints since that crazy old man all those weeks ago."

"Oh, I don't think I shall forget him." Allura shook her head, chuckling. "That incident reminded me of the time you tried to fill in for Father when he caught a cold. And how there was that older woman who tried to turn you into a frog for not being the king."

Coran laughed. "Oh ho, that was a doozy of a day. King Alfor wouldn't stop performing protection spells on me for a month after that. I don't know how many times I tried to tell him that the woman's spell probably wouldn't have had much of an effect on me."

The two continued to laugh over that distant memory of the past until they had to go back to business. Allura made notes on the reports handed to her, making sure that they were legible enough for Shiro to understand what was needed and what he didn't have to worry about. After she was done jotting down her notes, she went to meet with the business owners who she swore lightened up their faces when they saw her emerge from the door. She saw to it that they were comfortable and she attempted to appear as interested in hearing about the sort of businesses they ran as she possibly could. While most of them were interesting, there was one owner who ran a pillow business. As he spoke of pillows, Allura could see some servants getting drowsy from listening to him talk about the intricacies of selecting feathers and other materials. After she approved their requests to be a part of the gala, Allura yawned when they were out of sight.

"Coran, do you think I could possibly take a quick nap before resuming the rest of the duties?" 

Coran rubbed his eye. "I'm afraid not, Princess. The citizens seeking an audience are already waiting outside of the throne room. I can, however, brew you some tea whilst you listen to them."

"Tea would be lovely."

Allura was escorted to the throne room. Before Coran went off to make her tea, he saw Allura sit down on the throne. Her arms on top of the arm rests, her dress flowing down to the floor, and her eyes looking down with concern. The seriousness in her face reminded Coran of King Alfor. He turned away from her as he left for the kitchen. Surely, he thought, she would have made a great queen.

 

The first citizen to enter the throne room was a short, serious looking man with curled up hair and a short sword tucked away in his belt. He waltzed right in the throne room, becoming slightly startled at the sight of Allura. He quickly recomposed himself and bowed. 

"Forgive me, my Lady," he said, "I did not expect to be in your presence."

Allura smiled. "Worry not, my good sir. I'm afraid the Prince is away on business and he tasked me to fill in for him. What is your name?"

The man bowed. "I am Klaizap, my Lady. And I come on behalf of my village, Arus. Lately, the fires needed to get rid of dead land have been growing out of control. We do not know how to combat them and we fear that such fires will overtake our homes. We do not have many resources to keep it under control."

Allura put a hand underneath her chin as she thought about what she could do. The best that could be done would be to send emergency units to the area, but that wouldn't necessarily solve the problem. And she didn't know how long it would be to send in the right amount of resources to help keep the fires under control. Allura rose from the throne, descending down the steps.

"Klaizap, may I see your sword for a moment?"

Klaizap presented his sword. "Of course, my Lady."

Allura grabbed the sword and it levitated underneath her hands. A blue light emanated around it. Klaizap had his mouth open in awe. When the blue light disappeared, the sword retained a glowing blue symbol on the blade. Allura handed the sword back to Klaizap.

"I will see to it that help is sent to your village," Allura told him. "But in the meantime, I have enchanted this sword to help protect Arus. When you return home, I want you to thrust this sword in the center of Arus. When you do that, a protective barrier should surround the village, ensuring that it remains safe from any natural disaster, including fires. I cannot say that this spell will last forever, but it should last until you and your fellow villagers are better equipped to combat the fires."

Klaizap looked up at Allura before going on his knees and pressing his head against the floor, his arms still up as they held the sword.

"Thank you, my Lady. You are far too kind." Klaizap arose.  

"You are very welcome. If anything goes wrong, please do not hesitate to call for me, Lady Allura."

Klaizap put the sword back in its sheath and tied it around his belt. He hurriedly left the palace as Coran entered the room again, carrying a tray that had a kettle, a jar of honey, teacups, spoons, and Allura's mice friends on top. Allura held her hands up for the mice to scurry on and climb on her shoulders. They headed back to the top together, a pair of servants following behind Coran as they carried a small table for them to enjoy their tea at.

 

The rest of the requests went by without any trouble. Although Allura could not see everyone that had been scheduled for that day, she was satisfied with having helped out as many citizens in need. She left the throne room before Coran to go outside to the castle gates when she stopped in her tracks as she eavesdropped on a conversation taking place between a few nobles. 

"Lady Allura is awfully nice," one said. "Her grace, beauty, and wisdom make me wonder how anyone can believe that she isn't a princess."

Allura clasped a hand over her chest. The mice on her shoulders were also pleased with hearing those words. 

"I wish Lady Allura would become our queen," another voice said. "She's proven her worth as a worthy ruler. Plus, it would be nice for her to be given Garrison in return for the loss of Altea. Do you think the Prince would consider offering her his hand in marriage?"

Allura giggled. She hadn't realized how popular she was among these people. And it was funny to think that she and Shiro could honestly be an item. She liked Shiro, sure, but neither of them were in love with the other. Then a third voice spoke up.

"To be honest, Prince Shiro should just hand the kingdom over to her."

The second voice gasped. "How could you say such a thing?"

"I realize that my suggestion would appear to be most unconventional and most unorthodox," the third voice admitted. "But if we take into consideration the circumstances of our prince, we realize that he simply isn't meant to rule. The Shirogane clan has simply hit an end to their reign. And as luck would have it, he discovered a princess from a long lost kingdom. Surely this is a sign that Prince Shiro must hand over Garrison to Lady Allura. I mean, Garrison wouldn't be the first kingdom to replace one royal family with another."

"Hm, I suppose I could see that," the first voice said. "I shall be looking forward to Queen Allura's reign, then."

They all hummed in agreement. Allura retreated from her spot, walking away from the nobles. The mice looked up at her with concern. She patted one of them with her finger.

"I know," she told the mice, "it isn't fair for Shiro to be talked about in such a way. I have a feeling he's heard such words before. I don't know if my presence have made such talk worse." Allura closed her eyes before opening them with determination. "But we cannot allow these talks to hold us back. I have faith that Shiro will break his curse and I know that we will take down Haggar. We must."

The mice squeeked in agreement. Allura stepped outside, anticipating the return of Shiro, Keith, and Lance. She did not want to think about having to take charge of a kingdom that wasn't rightfully hers to begin with. 


	3. If Shiro Stayed Blind Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scenario that takes place in an alternate ending where Shiro's eyes were never healed, but his love for Katie remains.

Pidge, or Katie as her name turned out to be, returning to Shiro's life was a miracle in and of itself. He didn't need his eyesight to hold her hand once more, or to press his lips against hers. When he brought her to her real family, the pattern of the family's breathing indicated how relieved they were to be whole again. Shiro respected the family's need for privacy as they caught up with their lives. He had Hunk help him out the door.

"Shiro, you know you don't have to leave," Hunk said with a hand behind Shiro's back.

"Maybe, but they have been waiting to be with her far longer than I have. They deserve alone time with her," Shiro replied. When they got to the threshold of the door, Hunk tried to step out, but Shiro put his hand on Hunk's chest. "You should stay."

"But, I'm not part of her family."

"You're mistaken, Hunk. You are her family." 

Shiro could feel Hunk's heart beating fast, the heaving of his chest. A nearby servant quickly grabbed a hold of Shiro's hand as Shiro walked out. 

"Your highness?"

Shiro let go of Hunk. 

"I would like to go to the Captain of the Guards' office. Have the guards check up on the Holt family every now and then. If they need anything, provide it to them. And whatever you do, do not rush them out of the room or the castle. Let them take their time."

"Yes, your majesty."

The servant escorted Shiro to Lance's office. 

* * *

Katie had wanted to impress her family with her inventions and figured she could recreate one of her old ones. She worked on replicating the old invention, having to rely on her memory as reference. She tried to juggle between inventing and spending time with her newfound family. Unfortunately, Katie would sometimes fall asleep in the middle of family time and she would wake up with a blanket around her. She didn't even get to see Shiro most days as he was usually busy trying to run the kingdom. It seemed that they only shared a few moments together ever since she came back. Hunk offered to help Katie out, but Katie turned him down, urging him to be with Shay instead. Once Katie was near complete with her invention, all she had left to do was to test it out. It was supposed to be a propeller that could hang items on a coat rack. One of her simplest inventions, and, if she recalled correctly, one that she made when she was three years old. But she figured it would be best to work her way up, starting with her earliest designs. Katie held the propeller in her hand and threw it up in the air. The propeller seemed to work, but then it started to get out of control, whizzing sounds heard as it flew. 

Katie tried to catch it, jumping up and down hoping that it would land in her hands. When it kept flying out of her grasp, she pulled up a nearby chair, got on top, and jumped on the propeller. Although she grabbed the propeller from the base, she did not have a safe landing. 

Nearby, Shiro was walking alongside Keith when the two of them heard the crash. Keith tugged Shiro along to the room where the crash took place. Shiro placed a hand on the doorway, letting go of Keith's hand as he attempted to walk around the room.

"Is someone in here?" Shiro asked, his arms still outstretched.

Katie sat up, and she and Keith noticed the blood on her leg. 

"It's only me, Shiro," Katie said. 

"Katie?"

Katie tossed the propeller aside, trying to steady herself as she picked up the chair.

"What's up?"

Shiro stopped stretching out his arms. "I should be asking you that. What happened? Keith, can you describe the room to me?"

Katie shook her head and Keith straightened out his voice.

"Oh, everything looks fine," Keith lied. "We're currently in a lab and there's a ball next to some broken glass. I think Pidge was just about to clean that up."

"Yup, that's what I'm doing," Katie lied alongside Keith. "So, you might not want to come near me for the moment." She mouthed a 'thank you' to him. 

Shiro perked his head up.

"How strange. The crash I heard didn't sound like glass breaking."

Katie struggled to stand up. Keith was about to help her up, but his shoulder bumped into Shiro's. Shiro stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, I was just going to help pick up this mess."

Shiro shook his head. "I'd rather you not." He outstretched his right arm. "Katie, please let me help you pick up this glass. You can use my prosthetic arm to pick it up."

Katie looked up at him. "Are you sure? I don't know if it's such a good idea."

Shiro opened his palm. "Please. It's rare that we get to be together like this and I haven't felt you in so long." 

Katie wobbled as she tried to keep her balance.

"Give me a second." Katie limped her way to Shiro, having her hand out. She hoped to not give him the impression that she hurt herself, but she struggled to keep her balance. She fell forward, but Shiro pushed Keith aside and used his body to catch Katie. Shiro put a hand on Katie's neck. He slid his hand down, brushing past her shoulder and then her torso, before finally arriving around her leg area. He felt something wet against her shin.

"Oh, Katie, are you alright?" he asked. "Tell me what this is. And don't lie." He put his other hand back on her neck. 

Katie sighed. "I fell, trying to catch one of my inventions." She pushed the hand on her shin away. "It's bleeding. But it's nothing serious. And I encouraged Keith to just say some glass broke."

It was Shiro's turn to sigh. "Katie, why would you lie to me about that?"

Katie locked her hand in his. "I didn't want you to worry about me. You shouldn't have to feel me when I'm like this."

"When you're hurt? Katie, that's silly. I may not want you to get hurt, but I'd like it if you came to me when you're in pain. Keith, could you go get a bandage and some rubbing alcohol?"

"Yes, your majesty," Keith sprinted out of the room.

Katie squeezed his hand. "It's not that. I...I didn't want you to know how backwards I've gotten with my smarts." She let go of him and reached for the broken propeller. "I have been working so hard to replicate something I invented when I was three. But it's taken me longer to mimic it and for what? Something that can't perform something as basic as hanging coats in a coat hanger." She sighed. "I told them about all the stuff I built for Madame Haggar. I should be able to make something as basic as this. Yet, I have nothing to prove it."

Shiro put his hand on her knee. "Hey, it's okay." He rubbed her knee. "Look, your parents and brother are happy enough as it is that you're back in their lives. You don't have to start rebuilding your lost inventions right away. You should start with something new. Something you want to make for them. Because at the end of the day, you're still an intelligent person." He smiled at her. "I want to know your mistakes because I want to see how you overcome them. I admire your willingness to learn. It makes me feel closer to you."

Katie grabbed his left hand and had his thumb touch the corner of her mouth so that he could feel her smile. Shiro leaned in and kissed her. Keith returned and treated to Katie's wound. After he was done, both Shiro and Katie thanked him.

"Keith, you should go ahead and take a break."

"Prince Shiro, I can't. Don't you need me to help you get around the castle?"

Shiro felt the bandage over Katie's leg. "Nah. I have Katie with me. She'll help me get around."

"Alright. If you say so." After Keith's footsteps could no longer be heard, Shiro pulled Katie into his arms. He adjusted her so that he could pick her up bridal style. He stood up.

"Which way to the door?"

"Oh, uh, to your left." 

Shiro started walking and Katie told him how close he was to the door before they were out of the room. She looked up at his foggy eyes. 

"You know, I can still walk," she said. "My leg feels a lot better. You don't have to carry me."

Shiro stopped, pressing his head against hers. "I do have to carry you. Since you are my eyes, I am your legs. Did you forget?"

Katie nuzzled against his chest. "No, I didn't forget. But I haven't been keeping my part. Not when I was spending so much time away from you."

Shiro slipped his fingers through her hair. "It's not your fault. You need to be with your family and I understand that. But I'd still like you to be my eyes. So, maybe when you're not with them, you could come to me. Work on your inventions in the same room as me. Describe your work process. That way, we won't have to be apart so much."

"And if you're busy with running the kingdom?"

"Then I can turn to you for an outsider's opinion. What do you say?"

Katie placed her hand on top of his. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

She kissed his neck and then he kissed the side of her head. He continued to carry her as she guided him through the corridors. When they reached her parents' room, she urged him to come inside with her.

"I don't know, Katie. I don't want to get in the way."

Katie laughed. "You're not getting in the way. My parents would like to spend time with you. You are my boyfriend after all."

"Yeah, a blind boyfriend."

Katie pointed a finger to his chest. 

"Do not let that get you down. My parents do not have any issues with you being blind. And before you ask, it has nothing to do with you being a prince. They know your dedication to me and that's more than enough for them to want you to be a part of this family. Besides, what happened to that whole spiel of me being your eyes?"

Shiro's face grew warm. "That? Well, I mean, sure, you are, but I-"

Katie jumped out of his arms. "Come in with me. If there's something you want to know, I'll describe it to you. Or my dad will because he likes to talk a lot."

Shiro relented. "As you wish, my love."

The two knocked on the door and paid Sam and Colleen a visit. When Sam and Colleen greeted the pair, Shiro's insecurity with his blindness faded away. He could decipher how Sam and Colleen were based on how they talked, the movements he heard them make from the swiftness of their arms. In fact, it felt as if they were all old friends who were catching up. He felt happier when he heard Katie suggest that they all build something together. Sam and Colleen agreed, and though Matt was not there, they knew he would be on board with this new project. And with Shiro lending a hand, they could focus on aspects of the design they never would have thought about. 

It was getting late and all of them needed to head to bed. When Katie and Shiro left Sam and Colleen's room, Shiro picked Katie up again.

"You're never going to let me walk again, are you?" 

Shiro grinned. "Nope."

"Fine, but don't blame me if I start getting heavy and you start to struggle with picking me up."

Shiro laughed. "Oh, please. I'm strong enough to lift my own weight. And I'd like to think that carrying you also serves as an alternative to lifting weights, so you're just helping me get stronger."

Katie didn't want to continue pressing the matter further, for now. She simply continued to guide him as she supposed that she could get used to her new legs if he was willing to let her be his eyes. 


	4. Finding the Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story of how Keith and Lance came across an unconscious Prince Shiro.

Lance had been assigned to patrol the area closest to the enchanted forest. With the Prince gone, security had been heightened in every part of the kingdom, and it was his turn to make sure that nothing from the forest escaped and put any of the townsfolk nearby in danger. While Lance didn't mind looking out for the citizens, he wished he had been assigned to join the search party for the Prince. Sure, Lance was still in training to join the Guard, and there certainly were more experienced soldiers that deserved such a high responsibility of finding the Prince, but he could be useful in that search. After all, with Keith out of the picture, the position of Captain was starting to look like his title. 

He rode horseback along the border of the forest. It was rather quiet and dull, and if it weren't for the strange looking vegetation that was found within then no one would think it was a particularly special forest. Lance whistled a tune. There was no echo in return. He frowned. 

"Man, this is so boring," Lance complained. "I bet if I were in the Guard already, I'd have tons of adventures. And if I were Captain, then I'd be accompanied by lovely female officers every step of the way." He was starting to feel like all those days spent training were wasted if all he was gonna do was ride horseback. There weren't even any squirrels for him to mistaken for enemies. All this silence was getting on his nerves. It made it easier for him to get distracted by his thoughts.

On the one hand, it was a rare occurrence for him to be in such a quiet state. His family certainly never had a peaceful moment. Someone was either laughing, crying, yelling, or a combination of two or all of those things. He remembered how he'd retreat to the streets and listen to the music of street performers. He'd sneak back in his room when he felt drowsy. 

On the other hand, the quiet reminded him of a certain someone that he had wanted out of his mind. A person that used to be his roommate during their years of Guard training and who left without a word. Keith. Just thinking about his name sent mixed feelings down Lance's body. He couldn't accept that Keith would have left him like that. And sure, maybe trying to talk down on Keith wasn't the best course of action, but it was worth the attempt to make Lance feel better. 

There were footsteps coming from inside the forest. Lance got off his horse and dashed inside. What he saw was the recognizable black mullet of Keith. 

* * *

"Great," Keith muttered to himself, a hanging dagger without a carcass being the cause of his frustration. Keith pulled the dagger out and scanned the area. The job he was hired for sounded easy on paper. 

Ever since he left the Guard, Keith had accepted small jobs to get by. He was currently in the middle of hunting for a three-eyed badger that could, of course, only be found within the enchanted forest. It was considered foolish for people to enter the forest, but Keith was going to be paid good money for this job. He crouched down, rubbing his fingers on the earth. He took careful steps. 

The forest gave Keith a sense of nostalgia. A time when he was a child. He remembered going out on nature walks with his parents. While they never entered this particular forest, they would venture into other forests and bask in the tranquility that couldn't be captured in city life. Aside from the knife in his pocket, Keith didn't have much to go by in terms of remembering his parents. The fire burned down their home, as well as most of their belongings. Not a single photograph or portrait of the family could be found, making it easier for Keith to forget the faces of his mom and dad year after year. And there were no relatives Keith could seek answers from to know what his parents were like. Thus, Keith wanted to take in moments like these so that he could hold on to what little memories of his family he had left.

The Guard could give anyone the chance to start anew. Who wouldn't want to be known for laying down their life for the protection of Garrison? But the Guard was sloppy when it came to justice. There were too many protocols for any person to follow if they wanted to lay down the law on a criminal. Keith couldn't stand it. He couldn't accept that criminals couldn't be punished right away. It didn't feel right. But Keith was even more disappointed that Lance, the one friend he managed to make at training, wasn't able to see his side of things. Of course, Keith supposed that unlike him Lance at least had people worth continuing the training for. All Keith had to impress were the ghosts of people he could barely remember. He had no honor to bestow on. Despite knowing that Lance talked poorly of him to everyone, Keith still hoped that Lance would make it to the Guard.

A three eyed badger was spotted up ahead. Keith was about to the dagger from before, but instead switched it out with his mother's knife. He got out a net from his back and was about to throw it at the badger when he was thrwarted to the ground.

* * *

Lance was on top of Keith, holding Keith's arms behind his back.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Lance questioned.

Keith squirmed in place, his head in the dirt. Keith gritted his teeth, eyeing Lance angrily.

"Get off me," Keith demanded.

"Not until you explain yourself."

Keith shook his head. 

"I was just out on a job."

"What kind of job?"

"Well, maybe if you let go of me I could explain better," Keith heaved.

Lance removed himself from Keith, pulling out a thin sword from his sheath. Keith stood up, a hand on his hair. He was still visibly upset.

"Why'd you tackle me like that?" Keith asked.

"I was tasked with keeping whatever comes from the forest away from the innocent townsfolk. And you just so happened to come from the forest."

Keith huffed. "You know I'm not from the forest. I'm only here to hunt an animal for someone that hired me."

Lance laughed. "What? The Guard program's former best student can't find something more respectable? I guess people can see that you're not so great after all."

"At least I don't talk poorly of someone behind their back. The Guard must have some low standards if you're gonna be a part of it."

"At least I'm following through with my plan!"

"I'm amazed your brain has the capacity to form a plan!"

"Yeah, well I-"

Lance fell silent when a low, moaning sound was heard. Keith and Lance turned their heads in the direction of the noise. It was quiet for a few seconds before the moaning started up again. They trudged carefully through the plants and bushes. From behind, they spotted someone lying against the trunk of a tree. Someone that looked familiar. Although the person in question had a lock of white hair and a scar across his face, his overall appearance looked too similar to that of....

"Prince Shiro," Keith and Lance said in unison.

They crouched down next to him. He wore a violet suit that had black marks on the edges. His face had dried up blood along the scar. Keith pulled the Prince closer to his shoulder. 

"I have a horse that can carry him," Lance informed Keith. "Hurry, we don't know how bad his wounds are."

Lance hustled over to the other side of the Prince. However, upon placing the Prince's arm over him did he realize something. 

"Lance, I thought you said we needed to hurry."

"I know, it's just," Lance held a grip on the Prince's forearm, "he doesn't have an arm."

"What?" Keith leaned his head forward and saw that the Prince's right arm was fake. "That is shocking. All the more reason we need to take him to a doctor."

They both hurried out of the forest and found Lance's horse. Prince Shiro was set on top and the two of them guided it to the nearest town. When they got there, there were a couple of members from the Guard that had been anticipating Lance's return with a report. Instead, they were shocked to see Lance and Keith carrying Prince Shiro. An emergency unit was summoned and Prince Shiro was whisked away to the castle. Keith and Lance answered all the questions that came their way and were escorted to the castle as well.

 

Prince Shiro woke up to a lit up, blank room. He found himself covered in a white blanket. On opposite sides were two gentelmen he didn't recognize. One was a boy with fuzzy black hair and hunter's garments while the other was a tall, brown-skinned boy wearing the uniform for the Guard training program. 

"Where am I?" Prince Shiro asked.

The two boys bowed their heads. 

"The castle infirmary, your highness."

Shiro lifted himself up, but found something odd about it. He put his right hand on top of his left and recalled that it was fake. So much for that being a nightmare. He turned his attention to the boys next to him.

"How did I get here?"

Before either one could answer, a doctor came walking in.

"These two brought you here, your grace," the doctor said. She carried a clipboard and flipped over a page. "We are very fortunate that they were able to get you out of that forest alive."

"Forest?"

The doctor gave a low bow. "The enchanted forest, Prince Shiro. The one in which the Witch Haggar resides."

Prince Shiro felt a jolt through his body just hearing that name. 

"You're safe now, your highness," the doctor continued as she raised her head. "But you should be getting rest. There are many people that would like to pay you a visit. Of course, we have made sure to screen everyone that requests to be in your presence." She tapped her foot on the floor. "Come, you two. If the Prince permits, you may come back once he's well-rested."

"You don't have to worry about that," Lance replied. 

Keith and Lance got up from their seats. Before they left, Prince Shiro called out to them.

"Wait," he said. "Don't you two want a reward of some kind?"

Keith and Lance glanced at each other.

"No," Keith answered. He and Lance bowed. "We only came to see your condition. Being graced by your presence is more than enough for us."

They were about to head for the door again when Prince Shiro spoke again.

"That won't do. I order you both to give your names to my officers. You will stay as guests in my castle until I can find a proper reward for you both."

"Yes, your majesty," Lance said before he and Keith finally exited the infirmary.

After Prince Shiro received the rest he deserved, he tried to piece together what had happened. He knew he was in Haggar's presence, that much was certain. But what he didn't know was what exactly she had done to him and why. She stole his arm, but the fake arm didn't seem all that special. When he wasn't piecing together the time he was away, Prince Shiro looked into the files of the ones who rescued him. After talking with the boys' previous instructors from the Guard training program, Prince Shiro found a way to reward them both.

Lance and Keith were summoned to the throne room. Before the Guard and some nobles, Prince Shiro dubbed Lance to be the new Captain of the Guard. After that, Keith was dubbed Prince Shiro's personal bodyguard. While Keith and Lance took their roles very seriously, they would soon find themselves to be more than just protectors of Garrison and Garrison's ruler. Prince Shiro would discover the curse that was inside his arm, but he would also find friendship in the form of his Captain and personal bodyguard.


	5. Big Brother Matt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon being reunited, Matt strives to show his little sister how much he's accomplished. But that might be difficult when she shows him how smart she is and it seems that the people around her are more reliable than him.

The Holts were having lunch together in one of the parlors of the castle, seated in a rectangular table that had chicken, potatoes, bread, and vegetables atop. Katie was starting to get the hang of having a family and her parents and brother were getting accustomed to having Katie be a part of the picture again. Samuel scooped up a spoonful of green peas and stuffed them into his mouth.

"Mmm, mmm, the castle sure does know how to make fine green peas," Samuel remarked. He pointed his spoon at Katie. "I bet that Hunk fellow never made peas as yummy as this."

"Actually, I think he's been lending a hand in the kitchen lately," Katie said. "So, you're probably eating something he made if it's that delicious."

Samuel laughed. "You may be right, kiddo. I had a piece of pie he baked the other day and I swear I thought I tasted a piece of heaven."

"Hey, Dad, remember when we tried to grow artificial vegetables in the backyard?" Matt asked. "You thought their glowing nature was a sign that they would be good."

"Oh, I remember. Your mother had to hold me back from putting that carrot in my mouth."

"You had a garden?" Katie put down her fork. 

"It looked more like something from the enchanted forest," Colleen recalled. "I thought if your father ate something from there, his head would grow large."

"Perhaps it could have been expanded to make room for that big brain of mine," Samuel tapped the top of his head. 

Matt put his folded arms on the table. "We got it right eventually. We even managed to get them to be twice the size of average vegetables. I can show you sometime if you'd like."

Katie looked at him with expressive eyes. "Can we go after lunch?"

"That soon? Fine by me."

After lunch, Matt took Katie to a greenhouse that was outside at the castle courtyard. He was thrilled that his sister wanted to see something he and their father worked on. A small step that would lead to their growing bond. He opened the door for her and there were all sorts of plants covering the greenhouse. He led her to a section that was specifically for the Holt family, and there on the little patch of soil were the larger than average vegetables.

"Pretty impressive, right?"

Katie got a closer look at the carrots. 

"May I?"

"Go ahead."

Katie pulled the carrot out. She turned it over, wiping the soil that was on its surface. Matt pushed up his glasses.

"Well, what do you think?"

"You know, I think I could help you make these bigger."

"Really? I wouldn't say no to your help."

"Great. Stand back."

Matt was surprised. He didn't realize she had wanted to help right away. Although it was only half an hour ago that she suggested they come here in the first place. What was even more surprising was when she held the carrot up and tunneled energy into it. She dropped the carrot, only for it to grow larger than it was before; the carrot became the size of a wheelbarrow. Matt was shocked. Of course he knew that Katie had grown up with the Witch Haggar, but he had no idea she could cast such spells.

"Uh...wow," he uttered. "Have you always been this good with magic?"

Katie smirked. "Well, I wouldn't say always." Her smile became more genuine. "It wasn't easy for me to get the hang of magic, especially nature-based magic. But the Olkari taught me well. I have them to thank for being able to cast a spell like this."

Matt picked up the carrot, struggling to lift it up. Almost as if on cue, Hunk came inside and rushed to help Matt carry the carrot.

"I got it," Hunk said, easily lifting it up in his arms. Matt let go, staring at Hunk. 

"Thank you," Matt said. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just needed to get some carrots for some stew later on. Mind if I use this one?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks."

When Hunk left, Matt rubbed his elbow. He felt his face flush. He certainly wasn't as strong as Hunk. There had to be something he could do to impress Katie. A bird banged its head against the glass of the greenhouse, startling both siblings. It wasn't dead as it sloppily flew up again. That's when Matt realized what he could do. He grabbed Katie's wrist. 

"Come on, there's something I want to show you."

 

Matt and Katie were still within the courtyard. Katie sat on a stone bench as Matt blew on a whistle. As soon as he did a mechanical bird swooped out from the clouds. Katie's mouth was open. The bird scanned the two of them before landing on Matt's shoulder. When it did, it identified who it scanned.

"Pretty cool, huh?" 

Katie poked the top of the bird's head.

"I haven't seen anything like this. I don't know how I didn't think of this when I was stuck in the tower."

Matt smiled, although he felt a tinge of pity when she said that last part. He had the bird hop on Katie's hands. Katie put her finger over one of its eye.

"Hey, would it be alright if I added something to it?"

"Um...if you'd like."

"Hold on, I need Hunk to help me dissassemble this." 

"Katie, wait," Matt reached for Katie, even when she was out of sight. He slumped his shoulders and slowly caught up to her.

Once Matt was back inside the castle, he searched everywhere for his sister. One of the servants told him the last place they spotted her, and he rushed to one of the garage areas of the castle. Before he set foot inside, he saw Hunk using tools to break apart the bird while Katie rewired some of the wires and added chips inside. As soon as she was done, she carefully handed her parts to Hunk, who put the bird back together again. She looked to see Matt at the doorway.

"Oh, Matt," she announced, "come inside. I want to show you what Hunk and I did."

Matt entered cautiously. Katie pressed the top of the bird's head and it flew around, scanning the room as it did before. However, instead of solely announcing who was inside, it also projected a hologram of the occupants. Matt widened his eyes and mouth. 

"Katie, I never realized how smart you were," Matt said.

Katie rubbed her arm. "Well, you know. When you're stuck with a witch that raised you to be her successor, you sort of have to be. I mean, I guess all that's needed to be the successor of a great witch is excelling in magic, but since I wasn't born with magic, I had different expectations, i.e. I had to make up for it by being smart and building inventions. Of course, I couldn't have done it entirely by myself, I mean, Hunk helped me out and-"

"Pidge, I think he gets it," Hunk said bluntly.

Katie blushed. "Sorry," she swayed. "I know my mumbling must drive you nuts."

Matt shook his head. "Not at all." He rubbed his arm. There had to be something he could do to wow her. That's when the Captain of the Guard came rushing in the room.

"I'm gonna need all of you to go inside your rooms!" 

"Lance, what's wrong?" Hunk tilted his head. 

"One of the fight practice dummies has gone loose. Neither Princess Allura nor Coran can undo the spell."

"Maybe I can," Katie offered.

Before Matt could reject her offer, Lance responded immediately.

"Absolutely not! You're not at the same level as the Princess or Coran, I can't risk you getting in the way. Look, Keith is already tracking down the dummy and we're gonna see if he can take it down."

Just then, the Prince's personal bodyguard was thrown into the garage.

"Keith!" The Captain drew out his sword. "How dare you hurt my boyfriend?!"

The dummy raised its fencing sword. Keith got up, standing next to Lance.

"You're not leaving me out on this revenge," Keith said.

Lance gave a nod. "I don't think this fight would be much fun without you."

The two of them raised their weapons and let out a scream. Katie tried to concentrate on the dummy, but found that it was nearly impossible with Keith and Lance in the way. Keith managed to kick off the dummy's thin sword. Matt didn't want to be left behind. This was he chance to show how dependable he was. He ran to where Keith, Lance, and the dummy were.

"Matt, what are you doing?!" Katie yelled.

Keith and Lance looked back to see Matt running with a fist up.

"Stay back!" The Captain ordered. "Let us handle this!"

Matt ignored him and punched the dummy in the torso, pushing it away slightly.

"You heard the Captain! Move back!" Keith retorted.

Matt kept punching the dummy, but the dummy wasn't effected much by his attacks. It easily overpowered him, grabbing his wrist and slamming him into the floor. Matt tried to set himself free, but found himself unable to fight back. Just then, he felt the weight on him being removed. He sat up to see that Prince Shiro had removed the dummy from Matt and was fighting it. The Prince easily overpowered that thing, kicking it to the wall. He held its arm behind its back, holding it out for the Captain to slash right through it. Matt was shaking. 

"Well done, your highness," Keith complimented. 

"Ahem," Lance coughed.

Keith waltzed over to Lance's side, putting his arms around his waist. 

"You did alright," Keith planted a kiss on the Captain's cheek. The Captain shook his head, holding the Prince's personal bodyguard closer with one arm. 

"Why did that thing go haywire in the first place?" Hunk wondered.

Shiro gave a slight bow. "That was my fault, actually. I wanted to see if Allura could make the training for the new recruits a bit more challenging. What I didn't realize was that the spell can only be broken if there's a clear victor that isn't the enchanted training dummy. I'm sorry for that." 

Katie walked over to her brother, offering her hand.

"Are you okay?"

Matt snapped out of his trance. The sight of his little sister offering to help him up made him feel worse. He pushed himself up, brushing off whatever dust was on him.

"I'm fine," he reassured her, although it sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself. He knew if he stayed longer, he would be called out for going in. For interfering in a situation that could have been handled by professionals. "I'm gonna go check up on Mom and Dad."

Katie was about to follow him, but Shiro put a hand on her shoulder.

"I think he might need some time to himself."

Katie put her hand on top of his. "But he doesn't look okay. I have to see that he's alright."

Shiro removed his hand from her shoulder, but gave her hand a tight squeeze before letting it drop. "I'll go talk to him."

* * *

Matt looked at the sunset from the canal he sat by. Gunther was running around before he rested his head on Matt's chest. Matt petted Gunther's head. 

"Matt, there you are," the Prince's voice called out. Matt turned to see Prince Shiro walking his way.

"Prince Shiro?"

"I told you, you can call me Shiro," he reminded. 

"Sorry. It's not something I can do overnight."

"That's fine. You don't have to rush into addressing me differently," Shiro sat beside Matt and Gunther. "The sunset looks beautiful. I can't remember the last time I took in how beautiful it was."

Matt stopped petting Gunther. "Yeah, it is." He clanked his feet against the pavement. "I know there are things I haven't realized until now."

"Like what?"

Matt looked down at the rushing water. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that I can be a part of Katie's life again. And I'll always be grateful to you for returning her to us." Matt clenched his knees. "But I don't think I'm the big brother she deserves."

Shiro opened his mouth slightly. "What makes you think that?"

Matt took off his glasses, his eyes staring at the frames. "Katie grew up without me. She's smart. Maybe smarter than I am. She made the very invention made to find her better. And then she has that Hunk guy, who isn't just muscle. He's reliable, always lending her a hand. He's capable of lending her a hand. Of guiding her and keeping her safe. Like I should be doing." Gunther moved his head to Matt's thighs. "I can't even fight to protect her."

"Matt, I don't think Katie needs to be protected-"

"I know she doesn't," Matt broke off the Prince. "It's obvious that she's had to be a fighter to survive living under Haggar. But I'm talking about moments where she can't fend for herself. Where she needs someone to watch her back. I'm not some trained warrior who could rush to her side. I'm not like you." He put his glasses back on. "I wish I could be, though. Before Katie was born, I vowed to teach her everything she needed to be taught. Obviously, with how long it took for us to get where we are, I've had to lower my expectations on what I can teach her. I thought, maybe, there would be one thing I could do for her. Something she could be proud of. Something to make her think that I was worth finding." He shook his head. "But I can't be that big brother. Especially not when Hunk filled that role for me and she has you for a suitor."

Shiro looked down at the canal.

"You know, Katie was pretty lonely all those years she lived with Haggar," Shiro said. "All she had for companions were her familiar and Hunk, who she didn't even meet until three years ago. She's not used to being around people. Which is why it's important that she found you." He faced Matt. "Matt, Katie never expected you to be her hero. But you are. And it's because you never gave up hope in finding her. You went into that forest, even though you knew Haggar wouldn't let you find her so easily. You snuck into the army to take that window of opportunity of seeing her. You confessed to that crime, risking imprisonment, just so that you can be given another chance to find her. Matt, you are worth a lot more to her than you think. If you don't believe me, ask her. She's pretty honest when it comes to this stuff."

Matt returned his gaze to the sunset. Gunther got off of him and started treading back to the castle. Matt smiled. 

"I think I will." He got up from his spot. "Thank you, your high-," he shook his head. "Thank you, Shiro."

Matt followed Gunther and Shiro wasn't far behind.

 

Matt found Katie at the stables, where she was petting a cow and feeding it hay. 

"Uh..."

Katie perked her head to her brother. "Oh, Matt." She noticed the surprised expression on his face. "Yeah, I didn't know royals kept cows, either. I've only ever seen Shiro riding horses, but I had no idea he kept a farm animal in his stables." The cow mooed. "She's pretty great. I have to ask Shiro where she got her."

"Yeah," Matt laughed softly, "I'd like to know the story behind that, too. Um...listen, Katie," he got next to the cow, "there's something I have to ask you."

Katie removed her hands from the cow's head. "Um, sure. Did I...do something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I just," Matt looked at her. It was still scary how much she resembled him. He couldn't get over their likeness. "Katie, am I what you've wanted in an older sibling?"

Katie tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, am I what you expected? I know I'm not all that strong or well-balanced, but...," Matt struggled to find the words to complete his thoughts. 

Katie tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "You know, I wasn't very fond of this haircut until I met you." She looked up at him. "I'd like to keep my hair like this for a while. Because it reminds me of you." She put a hand on his chest. "It reminds me of my brother."

Matt smiled at her. "Thank you, little sister."

"You're welcome, big brother."

"I'm gonna train myself to be a better fighter for you."

"I won't stop you if that's what you want. Although, I'm not sure if you could beat me in a fight, so-"

"Oh yeah?" Matt grabbed a hold of Katie and gave her a noogie. Katie laughed as she tried to pull herself away from his hold. 

"Hey, but I think I might need your help with something."

"What's that?"

"I want someone to proofread my plans on building a device that can levitate and carry large animals, like this cow. Would you be up for it?"

"It would be my pleasure."

The siblings walked side by side, leaving the stables together and chattering for the rest of the night. 


	6. Selecting a Storyteller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queen Katie is pregnant with her children and wonders how her and King Shiro's story will be told to them. That's when she gathers her friends to come together to recount the events of all that happened.

News of Queen Katie's pregnancy spread across the land of Garrison. Garrison was thrilled that there would be an heir to the throne. The citizens' joy was increased when it was later discovered that she bore not one, but two children in her womb. Plans for celebrations were underway. Queen Katie couldn't wait for her children to be born, although it was for more than one reason. As the weeks and months passed, with her belly growing bigger, King Shiro saw to it that she was attended to every hour of the day. By the six month mark, Queen Katie wasn't allowed to walk on her own two feet, King Shiro giving the Queen her own personal entourage that would carry her on a comfortable chair. On the one hand, her feet did get swollen easily, so the entourage was perhaps for the best. On the other hand, she found herself limited when it came to building and modifying inventions. And she found herself getting more agitated every time a spell she cast went wrong that she didn't use magic as often as she did prior to her pregnancy.

With each passing day, Katie found herself growing bored. She retreated into the castle library, flipping through the books on the shelves. None of them had any advice on how she could ease her boredom. But as she picked out books, she realized something. Katie found it important that her children know as much about their family as possible, especially considering the circumstances she had once been in. What she didn't think about was how the story would be told.

Shiro searched for his wife, not finding her in her lab or in her family's quarters. He passed by the library, pausing when he saw her entourage standing next to piles of books. He stepped inside, shocked that his wife was writing down furiously in a notebook, having books spread across the table.

"Katie!" Shiro put his hands on top of hers. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be writing so much, you might hurt your wrists. Have a scribe write for you."

"Shiro, I can't," Katie lifted her hand to flip the pages of one of the books in front of her. "I need to know the fundamentals of storytelling."

"Why?" Shiro got on his knees next to his wife. 

Katie put down the pen. "Because, I don't want to mess up telling our story to our children."

"Our story?"

Katie shifted her weight and faced Shiro. "The story of how we met. When I had long hair, when you were cursed," she slipped her fingers in between his, "Our children should know all of that. But I don't know how I can tell it."

Shiro put his free hand on Katie's head. "You're right. They should. And they will know. But, this isn't something we need to worry about right now. You should worry more about your health and the health of our babies."

"I feel like that's all I ever worry about these days," she pushed her lips against his palm. "I feel like you've been taking on all the work of running Garrison. I want to help, too. I'm pregnant, not useless."

Shiro pressed his forehead against hers. 

"No, you're not. I just want make sure you're taken care of." He put his head on top of her belly, caressing it softly. "You and our children." He sighed before he looked up at her. "If you want to find the best way to tell our tale to our children, I want to help, too."

Katie pushed Shiro's fringe away from his forehead. "I'd like that." 

Shiro helped her stand up. 

"Actually, I think it's going to take more than the two of us to figure out how to explain everything to the children."

 

In one of the newly refurbished parlor rooms, where a fireplace, trays of snacks, and a selection of sofas for anyone to select a seat on was made available, was where the Queen had arranged a get together for her friends. Allura, Coran, and Matt took their place at a table that was set up specifically for them. Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Shay all entered, wondering why they were summoned by King Shiro and Queen Katie. The King and Queen were the last to come in, Shiro keeping Katie's arm on his. Hunk was quick to greet Katie, the two of them embracing while Keith and Lance gave Shiro side hugs. 

"Pidge, it's been a while," Hunk gave her a quick peck on the forehead. He knelt down and put his hands on her stomach. "And how are my future nieces or nephews or both?" he asked in a goo-goo-ga-ga tone. 

"Hunk, I don't think the babies can hear you," Lance said. 

"Actually, they can," Shay went over to give Katie a quick hug. "Hunk spoke to our child during the duration of my pregnancy and when our son was born, he took an immediate liking to his father."

"Where is the little tike anyway?" 

"He's staying with his Uncle Rax while we're at the castle," Hunk answered. "Knowing how protective he is, Shay and I don't have anything to worry about."

"So, why did you summon us?" Keith asked. "Has something urgent come up? Did the Queen find another ancient relic that's linked to Garrison?"

Katie shook her head. "No, nothing as exciting as that." She and Shiro sat down on one of the sofas. 

"Yeah, Keith, can't they just have us over because they like spending time with us?" Lance picked up a cookie from a nearby tray and ate it.

Keith side-glanced him, pushing him down to one of the seats.

"Actually, it's more than just spending time with us," Shiro revealed. "There's something we need from you."

"What's that?"

"You're all going to retell the events of how the King and Queen met," Coran said happily.

"What?!" Hunk, Keith, and Lance asked in unison.

"I need you three to help us retell what happened from when we first met all the way to when I came back to Garrison," Katie explained. "I thought it would be a good idea if we worked together on this." She gestured to Allura, Coran, and Matt. "These guys are here to give an outsider's perspective on how well, or terrible, our storytelling skills are."

"Is this really something to stress over?" Lance asked.

Keith put a hand on his chin. "Well, it might not be such a bad idea."

"Keith, really? You're not questioning this?"

Keith sat on the armrest, holding Lance's hand. "Why should I be? I think this might be good practice for us when we adopt our children. They're bound to ask us questions and we should get ready for lengthy storytimes."

"Hm...I guess you're right."

"I can't wait to hear what each of you has to say," Allura clasped her hands together.

"I'm pretty curious, too," Matt admitted.

Katie smiled. "Alright, so who should go first?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is essentially a prologue to a mini-series I'd like to start where the five main characters retell the story of Pidgeunzel in their own special way. I won't be releasing them all consecutively as I'd like to space it out as much as I can between other shorts, but I hope you'll look forward to finding out how I imagine they would tell the story.


	7. To Be Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A daughter who has lost her father comforts a mother who has lost her daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This event takes place after Matt's visit to Prince Shiro in Chapter 20 Blind Discovery.

After Allura finished performing her duties for the day, she and the mice wandered around the castle for a bit. The mice were perched atop her shoulder, and she extended a finger, giving one of them a slight head rub. 

"It's nice to walk around after a full day of either standing next to the Prince or remaining behind a desk," she commented. The mice squeaked in agreement. 

From the corner of one of the halls came a grey dog running towards Allura. The mice scurried down and placed themselves in front of her. The dog came to a halt upon seeing her little friends and stuck his tongue out. A familiar woman came speed walking down, resting her hands on her knees once she caught up to the dog. 

"Gunther, you know you can't be running off on me like that," the woman remarked, catching her breath. Allura came to recognize the woman as Colleen Holt. Colleen came to notice Good Witch Allura before her and posed herself properly. "My apologies, Good Witch Allura. I hope my dog did not startle you."

Allura shook her head. "Not at all. If anything, I believe the mice were more worried about him."

Gunther hung his head low, with two of the mice petting him. The women laughed. 

"I don't want to waste any more of your time. Come, Gunther."

"Oh, you're not wasting my time at all. Are you in a hurry?"

"No, my husband and son are currently busy in the courtyard."

"Then, would you mind accompanying me to the dining hall?"

Colleen put a hand to her chest before bowing again.

"It would be my honor, Good Witch Allura."

 

The women were at the end of the long table, Gunther lying down by Colleen's feet and the mice spinning a spoon inside Allura's cup. They had the dining hall to themselves as the only other people present were servants that were on stand by. 

"I've never been in this part of the castle before," Colleen sipped her drink. "Is it always so empty?"

"Lately it has," Allura pressed a napkin down on her lap. "Most of the Prince's most trusted members are busy and he is often in his garden when not attending his duties."

"I can only imagine the stress he must be going through. Especially with losing his eyesight."

The mice stopped spinning the spoon. Allura picked up her cup. 

"Yes, he has been trying to adjust as best he can." She took a sip and placed the cup back down on the saucer. "But he is not the subject I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh? Then why have you chosen me to sit with you?"

Allura placed her hands on her lap. "I want to know how you are doing. With all that has been going on."

Colleen folded her hands together. "I'm doing the best I can." She brought her cup closer to her, staring down at the liquid. "I presume my son told you our story when he sought an audience with the Prince?" Colleen glanced up to see Allura nod. Her eyes went back to focus on the beverage. "I was so thrilled to hear that the Prince would help with the search for Katie. I don't know why exactly, but she must have made a good impression on him." She placed her cup back on the table. "It feels so long ago since I last held her in my arms. I remember hearing her cry when she was born, and all those nights I spent trying to rock her to sleep. I was tired, but I was also happy. Because her cries meant she was there. With me. Her father. Her brother." Colleen picked up a napkin and wiped her eyes. "I wish I could have known that I was going to lose her. I would have done so much more."

Allura looked solemnly at Colleen. "I know how you feel. I lost my father long ago, too."

Colleen returned the gaze to Allura. "You did?"

"I was very close to my father. Although my mother died during childbirth, he never blamed me for her passing. He and Coran were the most important figures in my life. Even after a long day of ruling over Altea, he would make time to read to me or tuck me into bed. On days he wasn't so busy, we would have picnics together. He did all he could to prepare me for life. But neither of us knew that Haggar was looming.

"The day Coran and I were put to sleep, it wasn't during a momentous occassion. There were no grand celebrations, fears of war. It had been an ordinary day in Altea. I remember running off to the temple, with Coran following me. I didn't want to take a history test that I had neglected to study for, so I made the excuse that I would be visiting the temple of my ancestors so that I may understand their wisdom. When we arrived, Coran sucked me in with an interesting tale of one of my ancestors. In the middle of that tale, I felt another's presence. It was a cold, ominous aura. Before I knew it, I felt drowsy. My body was levitated to an open casket. The last thing I saw before closing my eyes for the next ten thousand years was Witch Haggar smiling over me.

"If I had known that I would be asleep for that long, I would have been by my father's side all day. Or rather, I would have never gone to the temple in the first place. I would have fought alongside my father to stop Haggar from taking down Altea. We would have won. We would have been heroes together." Allura opened her palm and the mice leapt on. She stroke their heads. "I am grateful that Coran and these mice were with me when I awoke. It makes me feel less alone in this new age and kingdom. Still, I wish I could have had the chance to tell my father goodbye."

When Allura looked at Colleen again, Colleen had tears streaming down her face. She trembled and put her arms around herself. 

"I had no idea," Colleen's voice became raspy. "You poor dear. I know your father would have wanted you to live on. But I also know how important it would have been for you to say your goodbyes, and for him to say his as well." Gunther laid his head beside her leg. Colleen petted his head. "I wish I could have told my daughter goodbye, too."

Colleen continued to sob. Allura brought Colleen close to her neck, stroking the woman's head.

"Good Witch Allura?"

"That would be a waste of a wish," Allura said softly. "Just because I can't see my father again doesn't mean you've lost your chance. We will find your daughter and you will get to be her mother again."

Colleen continued to sob, allowing Allura to embrace her. Afterwards, Colleen wiped her cheeks.

"Thank you, Good Witch Allura." 


	8. Hunk's Version

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Hunk retells the story of Pidgeunzel.

Hunk raised his arm in excitement.

"Oh, me! Me! Me!"

Shiro chuckled. "Okay, Hunk. You can go first."

* * *

It all started when I began working for Witch Haggar. I had met the most wonderful woman in all the land: Shay. Her family's farmland was dying so I turned to Haggar for help. In exchange for some magical soil, I was to be in her service. And through that did I meet one of the smartest people in the land: Pidge. Haggar had me take care of Pidge when Pidge was sent to live atop the tower that grew in height the longer her hair became. At first, I didn't know what to think of her. For all I knew, she could have been as wicked as her mistress. But to my surprise, Pidge was just a shy, little maiden. Her only companion before me was her familiar, a pyramid called Rover. I made it my duty to tell Pidge as much about the outside world as I could. I educated her on table manners and proper etiquette. I showed her that she could be both a genius and a well-mannered maiden.

Despite my teachings, I knew I would have to protect her from harm. I didn't want anyone to take advantage of her. But I must have done something wrong. For you see, one day, when I called on her to let down her long hair, I cared not that she did not pick it up as usual. For you see, it was a bright and sunny day. The birds were singing. The butterflies were flying freely. There was a nice cool breeze. Alas, inside the tower, was a sad Pidge. Pidge was sad for she was unable to impress Haggar with her latest invention. 

"Woah is me, Hunk," she said, a hand over her tilted head. "Perhaps my inventions are not good enough for the Madame Haggar."

"Do not speak such lies, little Pidge," I told her. "Your inventions are good enough for anyone. I know not of anyone that has a brain as big as yours."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now, please, help yourself to another cookie."

But before Pidge could grab that cookie that was prepared just for her, the sky turned dark and lightning struck. I looked outside to see the once clear sky was covered in grey clouds. And then, Pidge was being yanked away. I caught her before she left the tower window. And it was a good thing, too, for climbing her were three fiendish heathens!

Out from the window emerged a demon prince with curved horns and sharp teeth with his two uncivilized, uncultured, unruly, and barbaric lackeys who walked with their hands in front of them!

"Oonga, boonga!" The lackeys beat their chests with their fists.

******

"Hunk, you thought I was a demon?" Shiro asked with puppy dog eyes.

"Sorry, Shiro, but I didn't trust you guys yet. Don't worry, you're going to get redeemed."

Lance snickered. "I can't stop thinking about how King Shiro would look like with horns," Lance continued to laugh until he ceased his laughing with, "Hey! Who are you calling unruly and barbaric?"

Keith had his arms folded and pouted. 

******

The demon prince and his lackeys came inside the tower. The lackeys searching the room up and down. The demon prince glared at me.

"You...What's a human doing in this forest?"

"Nothing, my good sir," I replied calmly, even though I was feeling nervous inside. "Our business is confidential. Surely you must understand."

"I do not!" He shouted, raising a finger in the air. "You will tell me how to get out of this forsaken forest or I'll-"

"Stop!" Pidge cried out. "Please, do not hurt him."

The demon prince shifted his gaze to her, his shadow looming over her. 

"And who are you?" he asked in a sinister tone.

She was scared, too, but answered him anyway. "I am Pidgeunzel, sir." She stared at his right arm. "Oh my. Sir, I believe you are in possession of my arm."

"Your arm?!" But then the demon prince softened his tone. "You built this?"

She nodded. Just then, her lackeys tried to get near her. I wouldn't let them and pushed her behind me.

"Do not touch Prince Shiro!" Keith growled, baring his own pointy teeth. 

*****

"Growled? I don't growl."

His friends all looked away from him, muttering incoherent words that almost sounded like, "Well, you kind of do." Keith turned to Lance.

"Lance, do I growl?"

Lance tried to speak, but held back his tongue. What he did manage to say wasn't very helpful.

"I mean, I personally like it, especially when we're-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Keith seethed before turning his head away from everyone as he grumbled to himself.

*****

The troupe of heathens finally left, but that would not be the last we would see of them. Not long after the first meeting did they return to the tower. 

"Pidgeunzel! Let down your hair!" Shiro demanded. 

I had to bargain with the troupe and convinced them to drop their items. Keith leaving behind the most items. After they did were they permitted to come up. Once they got there, they began demanding we help them on their quest, behind the back of Pidge's caretaker, Haggar.

"Help the Prince on his quest!" Lance demanded, his long, lizard tongue sticking out. "Do it! Or we'll burn your tower to the ground!" 

I fought the barbaric lackeys, who were thrashing about like apes, until Pidge and Shiro ordered us to stop. Pidge, somehow, someway, managed to strike a bargain with the demon prince. In exchange for helping them out, they had to help us out in our own predicament. It was then that we learned that Shiro was cursed, although it would be some time before we found out the exact nature of this course.

 

Pidge and I learned more about our heathen friends. For one, all of them lacked proper etiquette. When they had a taste of my food, they scourged it all down, digging their faces into the bowls, drool dripping down from their lips, and slurping so loudly that I almost lost my own appetite. Although I was more shocked that Shiro had such poor table manners, considering that he was a prince and was undoubtedly taught better, Lance was the worst when it came to scourging down the soup.

******

"Hey!" Lance cried.

Shiro's face turned red in embarrassment.

******

But then, I started to learn a little more about their personal lives. They weren't mindless savages. They were only misunderstood and just so happened to lack any manners.

"Protect family," Lance once told me during one of our duo expeditions. It was those words that made me realize that they were only looking out for their loved ones. In a weird, breaking and entering, doing things behind a guardian's back sort of way.

I knew that I could teach them a thing or two about politeness. Of course, I wasn't the only one teaching them manners.

Pidge happened to teach them manners, too. Why, in one occassion, she made flower crowns with Shiro and Keith.

"Knife good, flowers bad," Keith initially complained as he stabbed some flowers with his knife.

******

"I did not say or do that!" Keith complained. "And how did you know about that?"

"Pidge told me."

"But, I was the one who taught them how to make flower crowns," Shiro said, his eyes still sad. 

******

Pidge and I soon found out that Shiro would turn into a mindless beast when his life was in danger or when he was under high stress. It was because of that curse that caused him to be so cold and distant. But that icy heart of his was melted by Pidge's love for the beast. In fact, their love was so strong that we ended up finding the flower that would help break Shiro's curse.

Unfortunately, Haggar figured out that we had helped him, so I took the blame for everything and was turned into stone. While I was in stone, Pidge cut off her hair, Rover made a heroic sacrifice, and then Pidge went missing. By the time I was back to normal, I took part in the fight to take down Haggar once and for all. Oh, and I guess it turned out she had an army of monsters that were former pets and wanted to use them to attack the kingdom? Anyway, we fought Haggar, Good Witch Allura gave her a good punch before Haggar got eaten, and then Shiro went blind. 

After many months, Pidge finally returned to us and helped cure Shiro's eyesight. She also found her long lost family, who welcomed her back with open arms. Pidge continued to date the demon prince, who wasn't so bad after all, I was able to resume my love life with Shay, and Keith was able to learn the value of love and friendship. Lance became a gentler person, but his rudeness never fully went away, even after getting together with Keith. Oh, and then Shay and I got married and had a baby and we're planning for baby number two. Oh, and Pidge became the benevolent and genius queen of Garrison once she and Shiro were wed.

* * *

Katie laughed wildly, Shay clapped, and Shiro, Keith, and Lance all had hurt expressions on their faces.

"Bravo, Hunk," Coran applauded. "It's not easy going first, but you managed to tell such an expressive story."

"I don't know how much of it is accurate, but I was pleased as well," Allura added.

Matt glanced up and down at Lance and Keith. "I'm very grateful that you were the one to protect my sister when she was in that tower."

"Why were Keith and I talked about like we were cavemen?!" Lance demanded to know. "I'm not rude!"

"Oh yeah? Well, rude people don't steal brownies that were meant for everyone, Lance!" Hunk cried out.

"I told you I was sorry about that!"

"Sorry doesn't bring those brownies back."

Katie calmed herself down, rubbing her stomach. 

"Well, I thought it was entertaining, despite the liberties you took with the story," Katie answered. 

"I don't know how I feel about being described as a demon prince, though," Shiro said.

"But you're my demon prince," Katie grabbed a hold of his shoulders, leaned up, and kissed him on the cheek. 

Shiro smiled, summoning a pull up sheet from his arm and wrapping it around his wife.

"Alright, so who should go next?" Shiro asked.


	9. If Shiro Stayed Blind Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another short that takes place in an alternate universe where Shiro stayed blind. This time, however, he gains a new perspective of his kingdom. And a new perspective on Lance's stupidity.

Shiro pulled his body up over the pole his hands were holding. Coran was nearby with a stopwatch in hand.

"Come on, Prince Shiro, just one more!" Coran told him.

Shiro made one more pull up before letting his body hang. Coran placed the stop watch in his pocket, got behind Shiro with his hands on the Prince's sides, and eased him down to the ground as he let go. 

"Excellent work, your majesty," Coran said before grabbing a nearby pitcher of water. 

Prince Shiro heaved. He put his hand on Coran's arm, making his way to feel the pitcher in Coran's hands. Prince Shiro took the pitcher and splashed the water on his face. He shook his head. 

"I can't be getting lazy with my workouts," Prince Shiro commented. "Just because I can't see doesn't mean I can't use the rest of my body."

"The right way to think, Prince Shiro."

"And with you as my trainer, I feel that my body can handle all this training."

"I may be no spring chicken, but I am still as fit as a fiddle!" Coran handed Prince Shiro a towel. 

Shiro wiped his face, his foggy eyes looking off at nothing in particular. Coran took the Prince's hand and led him to the private showers. As Prince Shiro let the warm droplets of water replace his sweat, he called over to Coran, who was waiting outside of the shower stall. 

"Coran, do you by any chance know how my schedule looks for today?"

"Actually, this is one of your less-filled schedule days. There aren't any scheduled appointments for you to listen to anyone's pleas and you just need to wait until the end of the day to hear the daily reports."

"I see," Shiro turned the water off. "I think I'll go into the city today. See if Katie wants to accompany me."

"Actually, sire, Katie is already in the city."

"She is?"

A pair of servants lifted sheets to conceal the Prince's body from the neck down as he stepped outside. Another servant approached the Prince and helped him put on a robe.

* * *

Coran and Shiro entered the city, although Shiro wore a disguise so as not to cause any alarm. He wore a straw hat to cover his white hair and Coran had used his magic to make Shiro's arm look less impressive. For extra precaution, Coran placed a cloaking spell on the Prince so that if the Prince's disguise fell off, then the surrounding people wouldn't recognize him. Shiro had his cane out while also staying close by Coran's side. From the little bumps on his shoulders and the shoes and pavement that his cane tapped, Shiro could see the bustling of people. Shiro wasn't used to being among the common folk. It was a nice change of pace for him to be with his people, not above them. He could hear the wailing of babies and the gentle tone of their mothers. He heard the shouting between the customers and vendors. Unpleasant sounds that were also mixed with pleasant ones. The laughter and chatter amongst friends, and the serenades of street performers. He had nearly forgotten that he was looking for his girlfriend. 

"Are you feeling alright, Prince Shiro?" Coran asked.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine," Shiro answered. "Does my face look weird?"

"Not at all. You've just been awfully quiet since we left the palace."

"That? I'm only trying to listen to everything that's going on. It's a lot to take in."

"I can only imagine. But fear not, my Prince. We should be close to Katie."

"What is she doing anyway? Did she tell you?"

Coran pondered for a bit, recalling what he had heard. 

"You know, I don't believe she told me. All I know is that she went with Hunk, Keith, and Matt."

Shiro sniffed the air. Although he had smelled mixtures of oil, fire, perfumes, etc., there was one aroma that grew stronger. It smelled of cinammon and fruit combined. In other words, delicious.

"Alright, everyone, get back!" Lance's voice spoke aloud. "The pie cannon is about to launch!"

"Pie cannon?" Shiro questioned. 

"Coran? What are you doing out here?" Lance got closer to the two. "I thought you were in charge of watching over the Prince today. And who is this stranger?" Lance noticed the cane and Shiro's foggy eyes. He waved his hand in front of him. "Oh, so you abandon our blind Prince for another blind man?"

"I can still hear you, you know," Shiro said.

"Sorry, stranger. Seeing as you can't see, I don't blame you if you don't recognize me, the Captain of the Guard. And I'm not sure if you're aware that you are being accompanied by the supposed Good Wizard Coran, even though he has failed to follow his duties."

"I did no such thing!" Coran defended. "The Prince gave me permission to come out here. Wanted me to see what was going on and report back to him."

"And who exactly is watching over him?"

"The servants are. I would never leave him unattended."

"You know, I don't think the Prince needs to be babied every step of the way, Captain," Shiro butted in.

"Of course he doesn't," Lance answered back. "He's the Prince. But we can never be too careful. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to controlling this crowd."

Lance's voice grew farther away as he left Shiro and Coran. Shiro put a hand on his hat. 

"Why didn't you tell him I was the Prince?"

"And give him the answer? That's not the way to go," Coran answered. "Besides, who says I can't have a bit of fun, myself?" 

Shiro smiled at that, letting his hand drop from the edge of his hat. Trumpets blared as another voice called out. This time, it was Hunk's.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Garrison, may I have your attention, please! I am proud to present to all of you the machine that will put pie eating contests to shame. Created by brother and sister duo, Matt Holt and Katie Holt, I give you," Hunk grabbed a sheet that was covering a bulky figure to reveal a cannon, "the pie cannon!"

There were oos and awes from the crowd members.

"My word, a pie cannon," Coran remarked. "Oh, your highness, Katie and Matt are walking up to the cannon."

Katie and Matt walked up and stood on the opposite ends of the cannon, both of them wearing goggles, aprons, and gloves. Behind them was Keith, who went over to the direction the cannon was aiming at. He gave out a yawn as Hunk continued to explain what was going on.

"What we're going to do is see how many pies it takes before someone falls over. And to make things more fun, we're going to be turning this into a game." He opened his arm to Keith's direction. "I will be competing against this skilled warrior over here. Whoever is the last one standing wins. Now, let's have some pie!"

The crowd cheered. 

"It looks as though Hunk will be competing against Keith," Coran informed the Prince. "Hunk looks excited, contrary to his rival. Keith doesn't look very pleased."

Shiro chuckled. "I'm sure he's just putting on a facade. Probably trying to make himself look cool in front of all these people."

"Alright, you two, fire the load!" Hunk commanded.

Katie and Matt shot the first pie at Hunk, whose face braced the impact of the pie. He was so prepared that he had his mouth open as it was fired towards him. When the pie came off, he licked the remnants of it that surrounded his mouth and screamed for more. The crowd cheered. Keith was next to be hit, although he wasn't as enthusiastic about getting pie shot at him. However, he still took on the force of that dessert, keeping his stance as the treat slammed against his face. This kept going on, with Coran describing the colors of the pie that would hit their friends. The competition kept going, Shiro laughing as he heard the splatter of pies after they were shot. There were only two pies that remained. There would either be one winner or it would be a draw. The first pie was shot at Hunk, who still remained standing. However, as they were loading up the last pie, Lance waved his arms from behind the Holt siblings.

"Go, Keith!" he rallied. "Show everyone what the boyfriend of the Captain of the Guard is made of!"

"Lance, shut up!" Keith called back.

"Hey, should the Captain really be showing favoritism in a competition?" Matt asked. But as he turned around to face Lance, he accidentally bumped the cannon, making it face in a different direction.

"Matt, wait!" Katie called out, unable to move the cannon on her own as it was too late.

The pie shot out in the direction of the crowd, missing Keith completely. It all happened so quickly. Not even Coran was fast enough to move Prince Shiro out of the way as the pie hit his face. Shiro stumbled back, but did not fall. The pie fell out of his face as he didn't even attempt to catch the pan with his hands. His friends came running to his direction, Lance ordering for everyone else to stand back.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright, sir?" Matt asked.

Shiro swiped remnants of the pie off his face and put it in his mouth.

"Boysenberry," he stated.

"We are so sorry," Katie said. 

"Yeah, we didn't mean to get the audience involve," Keith continued. 

"We feel really bad since you couldn't have seen that coming," Hunk added. As Coran handed Shiro a handkerchief, Shiro wiped the top portion of his head, revealing his fog-filled eyes. "Literally," Hunk commented. 

Shiro laughed. "It's fine. The joke is usually funnier when the victim doesn't see what's coming. And in my case, I really couldn't see." He continued wiping the rest of his face. "But I must say, I wish you would have told me you guys were out here. I would have loved to have been a part of this."

"What are you talking about?" Katie asked.

"Katie, don't honestly tell me you can't recognize him," Coran said. 

"Well, I can tell you put a cloaking spell on him, but-" Katie paused before hitting her forehead. "Oh, of course! I may not be able to see his scar or white hair, but he's still blind and has that prosthetic arm."

"Shiro?!" Hunk gasped. 

Coran hushed him. "Keep your voice down, we don't want to attract more attention."

"If you didn't want us to figure it out, couldn't you have made his arm look real instead of fake?" Keith questioned.

"Hey, have you guys fixed up the blind dude you hit?" Lance asked. 

"Ah, good timing, Lance," Coran said. "Don't worry, this gentelman is fine. But we will be riding with you and the others back to the castle."

"Well, fair enough."

"Uh, Lance, you really don't recognize this 'blind dude'?" Shiro asked.

"That is Captain to you, and no, I don't."

Keith pulled Lance down a bit and whispered in his ear. Lance's eyes and mouth widened.

"Wait, for real?!"

Everyone shushed him. Keith grabbed him by the collar. 

"Come on, Captain. Let's get rid of this crowd. We'll talk more once we're done here."

* * *

Lance and Katie were atop the carriage that carried everyone home, Katie trying to explain to Lance how clear it was that the blind stranger was Prince Shiro. Keith was the one driving in the carriage, commenting on Lance's lack of deduction skills. Hunk served as the coachman as he was in the back of the carriage, helping Keith further point out how Lance should have known. Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Shiro and Coran sat across from Matt.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you," Matt said. "We weren't intentionally trying to leave you out on the fun. We just didn't know how you'd feel being around a crowd. Whether or not it would be too much for you."

Shiro rubbed the back of his head, his disguise now off and the cloaking spell on him removed. 

"I can understand why you'd think that," Shiro responded. "I did spend most of my days prior to Katie's return inside my garden. I didn't exactly go out often." Shiro let his arm fall past him. "Truth be told, as a prince, I'm not used to being among the common folk. Not that I never left my castle as a child, but I was often under constant supervision. I was only ever allowed to roam around the nicer and less crowded parts of the city growing up." He tilted his head back, closing his eyes. "I'm glad I came out today. I know I can't see, but I think I gained a better understanding of what common life is like. And hearing the shenanigans you guys got into was more than enough to put a smile on my face."

Matt smiled at those words. "Thank you, Shiro."

The carriage came to a halt. Hunk hopped off and opened the door for the passengers inside. Shiro suggested Matt go out first, and Matt did so. Coran helped the Prince out of the carriage, the Prince carefully taking his foot out. Coran followed after and the door behind them was closed. Keith was about to lead the carriage away, until the Prince stopped him.

"Hold on," he said. "I didn't hear Lance or Katie get off." Shiro opened up his arms. "If you don't mind, I'd like my girlfriend back now."

"Oh, right," Lance said. "Hey, this is the perfect time for me to try something. Pidge."

"Huh?"

Lance lifted Pidge up and she yelped. 

"Lance, what are you doing?!"

"Something I've always wanted to do."

Without another word, Lance threw Katie to Shiro. Katie screamed even as she landed on her boyfriend, Shiro letting out a surprised yell with her weight falling into him, causing him to fall over. Shiro put his hand on Katie's waist.

"Katie, you okay?"

"Not really," Katie complained. "Ow....how about you?"

"I've been better."

"Sorry," Lance said. 

"Lance, why would you throw her?"

Lance shrugged his shoulders. "I thought you would catch her. You normally have such a keen eye on whatever is hurdling towards you."

Shiro had a deadpan expression on his face. 

"Lance."

"Yes, your highness?"

"I'M BLIND!"

"....Oh yeah....Wait, why are you yelling at me for forgetting? I bet Pidge has her moments where she forgets."

Shiro pulled Katie closer to him. "Unimportant. She's my girlfriend. You're not. I should have you punished for your incompetence, especially since you're supposed to be my Captain of the Guard."

"Uh....," Lance straightened his voice and began speaking in a high-pitch voice, linking his hands together, "Oh, Shiro, my darling. Please spare your most handsome and ever so dashing Captain of the Guard."

Everyone had deadpan expressions.

"I can't believe this was the idiot I fell in love with," Keith muttered to himself.

Katie put a hand on Shiro's chest.

"I think you should execute him instead."

"Pidge, no!"


	10. Portraits and Photos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie learns more about her family history through the pictures and portraits she finds of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following takes place between Chapter 22 Reunion and Chapter 23 All Together.

The Holt family were in the process of moving to the palace when Katie rummaged through a box that contained albums and portraits. She was sitting outside the hallway on the floor, flipping through the pages. She found it unbelievable that she shared such a strong resemblance with both her brother and mother. If her hair were cut a certain way, she would have looked like a younger version of Colleen. Gunther came running to her side and she allowed him to sit on her lap as she took out one picture that had a tiny grey blob inside a towel. 

"That was Gunther when we first got him," Sam pointed out as he leaned himself against the wall.

Katie looked up at her dad. "You got him when he was born? I thought it was recommended to get pets when they're a little older."

Sam picked up the photo from her fingers. "Normally, you would be right, kiddo. But Gunther here was found. We were already living in the city by then and I was working at the Observatory to build up my portfolio. Your mom picked me up from work and on our way, we heard this little guy whimpering." Sam crouched and stroked Gunther. "We knew he needed a home and we weren't ones to turn away a lost soul. You should have seen the look on Matt's face when we told him we were keeping him. It was one of the few moments I saw your brother truly happy and not feeling guilty." He put his arm around Katie and shook her. "And I know you're gonna make him happier. You already started."

"So this is where you three were," Matt said as he carried a box in his arms, his mom following behind him. "I thought you guys were doing something more important."

"But we are, Matt," Sam jumped up. "Katie here was looking at our old pictures. Figured it'd be good to let her know all there is to them."

Matt and Collen set their boxes aside.

"What have you told her so far?" Colleen asked.

"Right now, I told her about the day we took in Gunther." 

Sam handed the photo to his wife. When she looked down at it, she cooed, holding her hand close to her lips as she let out an "aww" sound. 

"He was so small when we found him."

"And then he grew," Matt commented. He noticed the open album in front of his sister. A new form of excitement took over his face. "Hey, when we're done moving everything in, why don't we tell Katie about all of our pictures?"

Colleen beamed back. "That's a great idea, Matt! We should do that."

"Are you up for it, kiddo?" Sam looked down at Katie.

Katie saw the thrill in her family's eyes. It seemed even Gunther was eager to do this. 

"Yeah, I'd like that."

 

As soon as they were done with bringing their belongings in, the Holts went into Sam and Colleen's room. Pictures were spread out on the bed and the family sat at the edge, pulling them up one by one, recounting the memories behind them. There were group pictures and solo pictures. Ones that showed Sam and Colleen in their younger days, including a portrait of the two on their wedding day where Collen was seated on a chair with Sam standing up next to her and their hands linked together. They eventually got to the pictures of baby Matt, where there was a painting of Colleen and Sam holding him up.

"Is there a story behind Matt's birth?" Katie perked up from the bed.

Matt scratched his face. "Nah, nothing really special happened on my birthday."

"Matt, don't say that," Colleen scolded. "Your birth was just as crucial to us as your sister's. You are our first born."

"And boy were we freaking out over your arrival," Sam added as he faced both his children. "When I found out your mother was pregnant with Matt, I was both thrilled and scared. I had no idea what I was going to do. I spent months baby-proofing the house. And when your mother was in labor, I tried to deliver the baby myself!"

"I remember you guys telling me about that," Matt continued. "The nurses actually thought you were the doctor until the real one came in. He still let you help, though. You even got to cut my umbilical cord."

"Yeah, I did. And when I finally got to hold you, I knew you were going to grow up to be a smart man. I was proven right the older you got and the more you understood the world around you. I don't think I could feel any less proud to have my own son as my partner in science."

Matt smiled. "Yeah, and I hope we continue working together once I become a royal scientist just like you."

"We'll always be a team, son. No matter our positions."

Katie was grateful that her family didn't seem to have any tensions among one another. They all got along so well. She didn't know how much she would change their dynamic now that she was in their lives again. She noticed another portrait inside one of the boxes that was on the floor. She crawled across the bed to pick it up. As she eased herself back to her seat, she saw the portrait in full view. It was her dad, who had his arm wrapped around her mom. A little Matt stood in front of Sam, his mouth open and his arms spread as if he were soaring. In Colleen's arms was a baby wearing a green onesie with a little purple headband on the head that barely had hair. 

"We had that portrait painted a few weeks after you were born," Colleen pulled her daughter close to her chest. "None of us knew if we would make it out of my pregnancy."

"I was relieved when your mother got better and you were born as a perfectly healthy baby," Sam scooted closer to them. 

"I wanted something special made for us to look back on that moment. So, we hired a painter to create a portrait of us. Matt was a bit fussy. He was supposed to look more serious, but we let him keep his energy for the pose." 

Katie stared at the portrait. "Is this the only picture you have of me?"

"No," Sam answered. "There are other pictures of you. Not a lot, but we managed to keep a good chunk of them." Sam spotted one where Katie had a bowl on her head. "Like this one," he showed. 

Katie grabbed it and giggled. 

"What was I doing here?"

"We don't know," Matt said. "You were a really goofy baby. And a nearly bald baby, too. It's hard to believe you had long hair during our time apart."

"That's right," Colleen brushed Katie's hair with her hand. "I heard about your long hair, too. I heard Good Wizard Coran was going to be inspecting Witch Haggar's old home. Maybe he'll find pictures or portraits of your time with her and you can tell us stories about that. I'd love to see how you looked like with long hair."

Katie frowned. She folded her arms together and slunk back into the bed. 

"I don't think you'll be able to."

"Why not?" Colleen looked at her with concern.

Katie hugged the nearest pillow. "I don't have any pictures of myself growing up."

"None?" Matt adjusted his glasses.

She shook her head. "Ma-, I mean Haggar, never wanted anyone to know I existed until the time was right. She never hired any painters and any form of cameras were forbidden inside her estate." She wiped her nose. "She didn't keep very many portraits of herself. I think I only ever saw two or three when I lived in her house." Katie tugged at one her strands. "I wish I could show you how I looked with long hair. That was my best physical feature." 

Matt shifted his weight on the bed.

"If it's not a personal question, why don't you grow your hair out again? I'm sure there must be a potion or a spell to have it back to its original length."

Katie faced her brother. "Because this hairstyle reminds me of you. I spent years not knowing how any of you looked like. But now I can look in the mirror and take in the resemblance I have with all of you. I never want to forget that." 

Matt sighed. He slumped down next to her.

"You're weird, you know that?"

She lightly kicked his leg. "Not as weird as you."

Their parents lay down with them as well. They all stared at the ceiling and sighed.

"I still wish there were pictures of you," Colleen tilted her head. "Just so I could see what I missed out on."

Katie yawned. "Maybe there might be a spell that could help. We could ask Allura or Coran."

"Sounds good," Matt said drowsily.

There would indeed be a spell that Coran would cast to allow for images of Katie's younger years to be extracted. It would not be easy as it involved delving into her memories. But at this time, none of them needed to worry about that. Colleen removed her son and husband's glasses, placing them atop a little drawer that was behind her. No other words were spoken as the Holts fell asleep, the pictures and portraits still on the bed. 

* * *

When the Holts woke up, there was a note left for them on the nightstand. 

_The Holt Family's presence is requested. Please come to the Entertainment Hall upon your earliest convenience._

_-Shiro_

"That boy is still so formal," Sam said.

"Can you blame him, Dad? He is a Prince," Katie responded.

 

The family reached the Entertainment Hall where Shiro was watching a match between Keith and Lance in billiards. At the moment they were at a tie, one stipe, one solid, and an eight ball. It looked as if it was Lance's turn, as he circled around the table. 

"You think I can make this shot?"

"Not if you keep stalling like that," Keith answered.

"Okay, how about this: if I make this shot, you have to give me a kiss."

"Yeah right."

Lance aimed his stick and struck the white ball. The white ball hit the striped one, and the striped ball rolled down into the hole. Lance pumped his fist before moving over to Keith and puckering his lips. 

"I never said I would actually kiss you if you made it!"

"Aw, c'mon. I made it when you thought I wouldn't."

Keith groaned and gave Lance a quick peck on the lips. 

"What was that?" 

"A kiss."

"That wasn't a kiss. That was just a slight touch of the lips."

"That's what a kiss is Lance."

The two bickered when Shiro noticed the Holts waiting for him. 

"Oh, glad you four could come."

Katie hopped over to him, holding his hand. "Of course. It would be rude to turn down an invitation from a prince," she kissed his knuckles.

Shiro's face turned pink. He covered his mouth with his free hand. "Katie, your parents are literally right in front of us."

"You two are fine," Sam clarified. "As long as you aren't going crazy in our presence, you can flirt all you'd like."

Katie gave an innocent smile that Shiro knew hid ulterior motives underneath the surface. He shook his head before speaking again.

"Anyway, I wanted to show you something. One moment." Shiro turned to grab something that was on a table. When he came back, he was carrying a camera and a photograph. "I was initially looking for you to join me for lunch. When I saw that all of you were asleep, I figured I'd leave you be. That is, until I saw the pictures on the bed. I noticed that there was only one family portrait with all of you in it and asked a servant to bring me a camera." He held the photo out. "I didn't mean to invade your privacy, but I thought it would be nice to have a more up-to-date picture of your family."

Matt took the photo and everyone looked down at it with smiles. In the picture, their bodies were turned, their arms stretched out across one another, and their faces looked peaceful. Although they would eventually have a new family portrait made, they would cherish this picture as the first of the start to their new beginning. 


	11. Lance's Version

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Lance retells the story. Spoiler alert: it's not very accurate.

Lance raised his arms. 

"Alright, I guess I could go next," he said in a relaxed tone. "So, it all started when we found Princess Allura-"

"I think you can start with how we met Pidge," Shiro interrupted. 

Lance shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. We'll start there."

* * *

It started off as a glorious morning. Princess Allura sent Keith and I to fetch the Prince and inform him that there was a way to break his curse. We found him moping, I mean meditating, in his garden, the darkness in his right arm oozing ever so lightly. When we entered the meeting room, Princess Allura explained that there was a magic flower that could break curses if made into a potion. 

She approached me and was all like, "Lance, my most trusted knight. I send thee to go forth and find the flower. You are the only one strong enough to endure the upscale treacheries of the mountains!"

*****

"I never said that," Allura said.

"Princess, please. I'm not finished."

*****

But Prince Shiro would not allow me to go alone. He got in between Princess Allura and I. 

"Lance, I cannot afford to have you risk your life. You are the best Captain of the Guard Garrison has ever had. As this is my curse, I must go fetch the flower."

"But your highness," I tried to argue, "your curse. What if it goes off?"

"Then I have you to stop me. There's no one else that can put a stop to my blind rage."

Oh, and Keith was invited to go as well because he was the Prince's personal bodyguard or something. Anyway, we journeyed into the mountain where I found what I thought was the curse-breaking flower. Unfortunately, a bunch of monsters surrounded us. I was going to be the one to thrwart them off, but Keith got in front of me and was all like, "Lance, you must protect the Prince now. The Prince's safety and your face are more important than my life."

"Keith, don't be a hero!" I called out. 

"I'm not being a hero. I'm doing my job!"

I knew there was no point in arguing with him, so I took Prince Shiro on my horse and rode off as fast as I could. Keith eventually caught up to us and told us to go into the forest to help the Prince. Which, let's face it, was a bad idea as we ended up getting lost, but needed to happen for the sake of this narrative. While I was trying to help us recover from Keith's misguided mistake, I heard footsteps from the distance. The ground shook. We went behind a bush to see a behemoth of a troll. He had to be at least 20 feet high. He walked along the forest barefoot, an orange headband tied around his forehead, beefy arms, and jaws that stuck out from his lower lip. This was how we met the one called Hunk.

******

"Woah, woah, hold up," Katie interrupted. "Hunk is not that tall."

"Or scary," Hunk added.

"How can Hunk be 20 feet high? Isn't Shiro taller than him? Wouldn't Shiro have to be a giant as well?"

"Pidge, please, I am trying to tell a story," Lance evaded answering her.

******

We followed the troll to what was the tallest and dingiest looking tower in Garrison. It had to have been at least 100 feet tall. Hunk brought out a basket of cookies.

"Pidgeunzel, accept my payment of cookies to let down your hair!" Hunk offered up the cookies. 

Then, from a tiny window, a trail of hair came falling down. Hunk grabbed the hair and tied it around his waist. He used his hands and feet to climb the tower, leaving crush marks and crunching sounds with every climb. When he went in through the window, the hair was left back outside.

******

"Wait, this story isn't making any sense," Katie interrupted again. "First of all, the tower nor my hair were that long. Secondly, why would Hunk ask me to throw down my hair if he could climb it easily with his bare hands? Also, if you described the window as tiny, then how could he possibly fit in through the window? I thought you made him 20 feet. Even if he squeezed through, there's no way he could get in there. And-"

"Pidge! Will you please let me finish the story?!" Lance huffed. "You might be Queen, but I have the right to finish my story without further interruptions."

Katie opened her mouth.

"Nope, don't wanna hear it your majesty. Ahem."

*****

Something compelled me to start climbing that hair. Prince Shiro and Keith followed closely behind. We knew that whatever was in that trouble was no good. And I was right. Once we reached the top of the tower, we saw Hunk with something else. The hair that was outside was not all the hair that belonged to the owner. For inside was a forest full of hair. Hair that went through, under, and over every crook and nanny. And then there was a lump of hair. Inside it was a terrifying little creature I could only describe as the gremlin dwarf.

*****

"The what?" Katie seethed.

*****

The gremlin dwarf. A tiny thing that had piercing eyes and hideously long nails. And floating beside her was a flying pyramid that had an evil eye! She made gurgling sounds as she stared evily at us! Or, at me and Keith anyway. She sniffed the air and went to Prince Shiro. She grabbed his fake arm and tried to pull it off. 

"My arm!" she screeched. 

I was about to pull her off myself when Prince Shiro held his real hand up.

"Stop, my faithful warrior," he said in a calm and soothing voice. "This girl is confused. Let us hear her out." He looked down at the gremlin dwarf with concern. "My good lady, what do you mean by this arm being yours?"

Pidge was in the middle of nawing his arm before she stopped to answer him. "I made this arm."

"Might I say what a lovely arm you had made. It has helped me out a lot."

Pidge backed off after that, but Hunk didn't. He towered over us, breathing heavily down our throats.

"Leave this tower or else!"

We did so, and headed back to the castle. The good news was that the curse-breaking potion was almost done, especially since I gathered most of the other ingredients. The bad news was that the flower I found turned out to be a fake. I bowed in shame, asking for forgiveness, which Prince Shiro graciously gave. 

 

We had to venture back into the forest, where the Prince wanted to make a deal with the gre-

******

"Call me gremlin dwarf one more time, Lance," Katie threatened. 

******

Where the Prince wanted to make a deal with the person living inside the tower. When we got there, Hunk was ready to throw down for he had discovered that my Prince had gone off to visit Pidge once again. Hunk roared and smashed, but I got in front of the Prince to protect him. I tried to hold back so as not to hurt Hunk too badly. But that was gone once he flung Keith across the room. I didn't hold back anymore and used all my strength and agility to fight for my fallen comrade. I was already on top of Hunk's defeated and worn out body when Prince Shiro and Pidge ordered me to stop. 

As it turned out, they had made a deal in the middle of my fight against the titan. They agreed to help us search for the real flower in exchange for us granting them something in return. The deal was made and soon we began our search for the flower.

During our search, I learned two important things about Hunk. The first important thing I learned about him was that he was an excellent cook. He made us soup and let me tell you, I thought I had reached a whole new level of taste buds. The second important thing I learned was that Hunk had someone aside from Pidge that he cared about. It was just the two of us and he went on about this girl he risked serving Haggar for. And when he heard that I had a family I was fighting for, he eased up on me, too.

"We're not so different you and I," I pointed out. "Let's be friends!"

"Yeah, friends!" Hunk lifted me up and gave me a ride on his shoulders for the rest of our journey.

 

But the quest wasn't always good times. Prince Shiro's curse got activated during our search. The monsters from before came back. Of course, I was ready to charge in and protect the group. But there were too many of them coming at me all at once. I swung my sword every which way, successful in holding back some of them. I thought I had beaten every last one of them, until one slipped through my grasp and headed straight for the Prince. The Prince's arm turned completely purple, his eyes glowing yellow, his teeth becoming sharp, and his hands turned into claws.

 

Prince Shiro took down the monster (even though I helped cause some damage to it), but he already lost his mind. He somehow managed to attack Hunk and Keith and I was left having to face the Prince on my own. That's when Pidge came in and used some magic vines to hold him back and I was able to knock the Prince out so that he could wake up normal again. After that fight, we finally explained how Prince Shiro was cursed by Haggar and how he goes into berserk mode when his life was threatened or he was under a lot of stress. I'll admit, we probably didn't deserve the rest of their help after that incident, but they were quick to forgive us. Personally, I'd like to think it was because an unexpected love formed between the Prince and the gremlin dwarf-

*****

Katie threw a pillow at Lance's face.

*****

Between the Prince and the girl with the really long hair who lived in the tower. 

We continued working together, and found the flower. But the flower wasn't all we found. As it turns out, I have a way with animals, so one night, this big dog monster emerged from the bushes and as I stood in front of the helpless Prince, the dog came over to me and licked my face. The dog remained by my side until it went back into the forest, with Prince Shiro following it. I tried to search for the Prince, but didn't have any luck. What I did have luck on was finding Keith, who had gotten lost in the forest and was scared.

I came to his rescue, carried him back to our campsite and he threw himself at me.

"Oh, Lance, I can't hide my feelings from you for any longer. The reason I was such a jerk to you in the beginning was because I found myself falling in love. You're so tall, so strong, and the most handsome man alive." He swooned. "I know we've had our differences, but if you could take me, you'd make me the happiest man in the world."

What can I say? I was in love with that mullet-head dropout. I cradled him in my arms and gave him a very passionate kiss. We totally made out for the rest of the night.

*****

"I did not get lost," Keith corrected. "I was helping you look for him. And I didn't throw myself at you. We had an emotional bonding moment. We let out our deepest feelings!"

Lance dragged Keith off the arm of the sofa and into his lap.

"Yeah, but you still confessed to me."

Keith crossed his arms, refusing to look at Lance.

*****

Just as we went back to the castle, Princess Allura told us that she could now sense where Haggar was. Prince Shiro left me in charge of the armies that we would use in the event that Haggar unleased her monsters to the nearby villages. Princess Allura and myself led our own personal team into the forest. Unfortunately, Prince Shiro ran off by himself, but fortunately I was able to stop a mysterious assailant that was following him.

I lept up on the concealed stranger, cuffing him up before he could make any more sudden moves. And then I discovered a statue of Hunk and realized that the statue was Hunk. Allura used her magic to undo the spell on him and was all like, "Do not thank me, troll. Thank the one who realized that you were turned into stone: Lance."

"Lance, you're so smart," Hunk complimented. "I don't know if I could have lived being stone for the rest of my life."

"While your praises are warranted, my giant friend, I'm afraid we don't have time to go through all of them. We must find the Prince before it's too late."

And too late it wasn't. I saw the Prince next to what looked like Pidge, but I could tell she wasn't. 

"Your highness, that's not Pidge! It's Haggar!" I warned.

The Prince snapped out of his trance as Haggar revealed herself. She then summoned her army of monsters, that turned out to be stolen animals and pets from nearby villages who were experimented on. The beasts were unleashed, but the same dog creature from earlier did not go attacking. Instead, she came to my side and aided me in the battle to take down Haggar. 

All of us fought tooth and nail to take down the evil witch. She somehow activated the Prince's curse and doubled his effects. None of us wanted to take down our Prince, but I made the sacrifice of fighting hand to hand with him. I was able to apprehend him long enough for Allura to place a force field around him. After that, I went for Haggar myself. Haggar made things more challenging as she turned herself into a man-eating plant. I blocked all of her plasma blasts and swinging roots, but she broke the barrier that kept the Prince out of the way. When he was released, she inflicted the Prince with thorns, causing him to go blind! That was the last straw for me as I held up my sword and cut off her head!

*****

"You cut off her head?" Katie asked, even if she knew the answer.

"Yes. Now I'm almost done with the story, so please try to refrain from interrupting, my Queen."

*****

I rode on the dog creature, who turned out to be the pet of one of the officers. The mysteriously assailant I had cuffed caught away and I sent out an order for his arrest. As for the other monsters, I personally saw to it that they were returned to their rightful owners. Their owners all gave me their praises and thanks, which I humbly accepted. 

When I got back to the castle, I would start on a new mission: find Pidge. I worked countless days and nights searching for the Prince's long lost love. Keith stayed behind to be the Prince's seeing eye dog.

*****

Keith flicked Lance's nose. 

"I meant that as a compliment."

*****

Hunk remained as the Prince's personal cook. As for me, there were days I wanted to stop. The more time passed, the less confident I was in my ability to find her. But, I did have something to keep me going. My family moved in a plot of land that was closer to the castle. When I felt down, I went to them. They gave me the boost to keep searching for her. Especially my mom.

"Lance, you are the best son and my favorite child," she told me many times. "You have my support!"

Luckily, I didn't have to keep searching for long. Pidge just showed up out of thin air, except her hair was short now and she kind of looked like a boy. I took her to Prince Shiro, and me finding Pidge turned out to be the key to gaining his eyesight back. Prince Shiro could see again and it was all thanks to me. Once that happened, I reunited Pidge with her long lost family, who it turned out that her brother was the escaped the assailant. But being the gracious Captain that I was, and still am, I let him off the hook just once.

Everyone was together with the people they loved, including Hunk and Shay, who I totally set up more than one date for them. Everyone thanked me and on one of the most grand days ever, Prince Shiro held the best commemoration ceremony ever!

"Lance, I dub thee the official Hero of Garrison. We are forever in your debt."

I picked Keith up and kissed him in front of a crowd as there were cheers for me everywhere. In the end, Keith and I got married as did pretty much all the couples, but our wedding ceremony was the best one.

* * *

Everyone stared at Lance silently. 

"Well?"

"It was...very interesting," Shay said meekly.

"I see you took liberties with that tale," Coran pointed out.

"More than liberties," Allura added.

"Why was I made out to be the bad guy?" Matt asked. 

"And why did you make me a troll?" 

"Hunk, you have no right to complain after you made me a caveman," Lance argued.

"I had a reason to. Besides, it's not my fault you were rude during these events."

"I'm just glad you didn't make me a villain," Keith commented as he put his head on Lance's chest.

"This was the worst retelling of what happened," Katie said bluntly, pulling the blanket up further along her body.

"This was only the second one!" Lance said.

"I don't need to know how good or bad the next one will be to tell that yours was the worst."

Shiro held Katie's hand.

"Don't worry, my love. Lance won't be recounting our adventure to our children."

"Oh, come on! At least wait until you hear Keith's version before you make that decision."

The King and Queen looked at each other and sighed. 

"Very well. Keith, looks like you're up," Shiro announced.


	12. Crop Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shay requests the help of Hunk, Katie, Lance, and Keith to find out who, or what, has been stealing her family's crops.

Lance, Keith, and Pidge accompanied Hunk to the Balmera county after having received reports that the farmers were getting their crops stolen. They were seated in the carriage where Pidge was fixing up a machine that would help them discover the identity of the thieves.

"So, what do we do when we find the thieves? Do we shout 'Halt' and intimidate them with a speech or do we just throw ourselves at them and pulverize? I'm guessing, and preferring, we throw ourselves at them and teach them not to mess with the farm," Hunk chattered, opening and closing his fist.

Keith moved his arms up and down. "Hunk, calm down. And yes, we will take them down."

"But we can't beat them up unless they attack us first," Lance said. "I still need to uphold the law and you guys better as well."

"Aw, c'mon, Lance. I'm here, which means you guys can have a bit of fun," Katie commented as she twisted the screwdriver in her hand. "Besides," she clenched her screwdriver in between her hands, "Hunk just wants to be the hero for his pwecious girlfriend."

Hunk gasped. "Well, you're one to talk. You and Shiro are always spending time together, so who's the mushy couple now? Which, by the way, not that I'm not glad you're coming with us, but I thought you would have wanted to accompany him on his trip to Olkarion."

Katie focused her attention back at the machine in her lap. "Eh, I shouldn't be getting in the way of his official duties. I wouldn't want to be a distraction to him," she said that last sentence with contempt.

Lance leaned in on Keith's ear and whispered, "I think our fairytale lovebirds are in the middle of a fight."

Keith nodded in agreement. 

The carriage made a stop and the four of them emerged to see the farmland that was the Balmera county. Shay and her family were there to greet the group with open arms. Shay literally as she was quick to give Hunk a hug. 

"I'm so glad you came," Shay said as she lifted Hunk up. 

Hunk returned the embrace. "Of course. You know I would never forget to come here this time of year."

Shay put him down and turned her attention to his friends. "Oh, I'm glad to see you as well. Katie, Captain, Sir Keith." 

Keith smiled at the title given to him, although Lance snickered. Lance cleared his throat.

"So, I hear you've been facing problems with your crops going missing?"

Shay's grandmother stepped forward. "I'm afraid so. We're very open to allowing people access to our crops, especially those in need."

"But this is the thanks we get for opening our arms," Rax butted in. "I've been out there every night, but somehow these thieves keep evading my watch!"

"Rax, please," Shay addressed him. "Our friends are here to help solve this."

"They better. We're close to market season and at the rate our cops are getting taken, we may not have much to sell." Rax walked away from everyone, heading back into the house. 

Shay's father lowered his head.

"I apologize for my son's behavior," he said. "He cares about the well being of this farm and our family. He just doesn't want anything bad to happen to us."

"And nothing bad will happen," Hunk replied. "We will put a stop to your missing crops. I promise."

* * *

Katie finished setting up her machine around the perimeter the crop fields, rubbing the sweat off her forehead with her arm. There was a thin, barely visible thread that was outstretched and surrounded the field.

"This should let us know when someone comes in here," Katie explained. "This string isn't very strong, but it's not supposed to be. Once the thief walks through, the string will break which will then shoot up colored smoke to let us know someone's here."

"You couldn't invent something with a booby trap?" Lance asked.

"It wouldn't matter. Based on the letter Shay sent to Hunk, Rax already tried laying down traps but the perpetrator escaped every time."

"What makes you think this will be better?" Keith crouched down, staring at the thread.

"It'll at least tell us where they've been and which way they're coming from. At the very least they won't be stealing anything tonight."

"Awesome work, Pidge. Come on, you guys. Let's start patrolling," Hunk led the way for their patrol.

Everyone kept their ears sharp, listening in for any strange noises as they paced throughout the field. The most they heard were the owls hooting in the distance. The group turned their heads every which way to make sure they didn't miss any strange shadows. With as much focus that they had on stopping the thieves, they immediately became bored.

"So, Hunk, what do you normally do around here?" Lance asked.

"Uh...I usually help out on the farm or spend time with Shay."

"Right, right. But like, you don't do anything more exciting?"

"Lance, c'mon. We have to be on the lookout for whoever's been trespassing in these fields," Keith scolded.

"I get that. But like, they probably won't show up for who knows how long so a little small talk shouldn't hurt anybody."

"Hey, why didn't you bring a troop with you to make this easier?" Hunk asked.

"Hunk, I am not wasting a troop to catch some petty thief. The four of us should be able to get him no problem."

"I don't know. What if this turns into some epic battle? What if the thieves aren't human? What if they're dragons? Or worse?"

"Hunk, breathe," Katie instructed. "I seriously doubt we're going into some epic battle. Even if we were, we've faced dangerous monsters before. And if we do end up facing a monster, Shay would be even more impressed with you," Katie said the last part in a sing songy voice.

"You think so?"

"We know so," Lance chimed in. "I impress Keith all the time whenever I save a local village."

"I'm more impressed that you don't get yourself killed," Keith replied.

Before Lance could answer back, a puff of red smoke was shot up in the air. The group ran in the direction the shot came from. They hid themselves inside the tall grains as they picked up their pace. When they got to the area the perpetrator entered from, Katie kneeled down to the broken thread and turned on her lantern. Whoever it was didn't leave behind footprints per say. Rather, they left behind some kind of slithering trail. The trail went past the broken thread a little ways before a hole was found underneath.

"Looks like we'll need to be careful," Katie warned. "It looks like our thief is an underground snake."

"Do you think it's the one that was guarding the Altean flower?" Keith asked.

"I don't know. It could be, since we never really killed it."

"But why would it be terrorizing these farmers?"

"We're just gonna have to find out," Hunk took the lantern from Katie. "It might be dangerous for us to be on the ground, though. Pidge, do you know a spell that could lift us up?"

Katie sunk her hand on the dirt and visualized a giant flower pod to sprout up from the ground, enveloping her inside, but not destroying her. She motioned her hand to indicate to the others to come inside. The boys got on top of the roots that lifted them to the entrance of the pod. Katie navigated the flower to go inside the field.

 

Katie was able to summon light through one of the roots. She used it as a guide for them to get through the field. Keith stared at the stems she was holding in both hands, curious as to how she was able to get this plant working.

"Could you get me one of these?" Keith asked.

"I want one, too," Lance chimed in.

"So do I," Hunk added. "I think being in one of these is a lot better than some boring old carriage. Maybe I can get a pumpkin pod so I never have to go hungry on a trip. Or maybe a watermelon pod."

"Wouldn't it smell and be sticky?" Katie leaned her head forward, searching for traces of the snake. "Although, I am curious as to what I'll get in return if I give you guys your own walking plant pods."

"Uh....I'll become your personal bodyguard instead of Prince Shiro's," Keith offered.

"I'll let you command your own troop," Lance went next.

"I was there for you when no one else was," Hunk brought up. Katie raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine, I'll be your test dummy for all of your experiments."

Katie smirked. "Those are all very good offers, gentlemen. But I think you can do better."

The guys groaned, arguing with each other on whose offer was the best one. Just then, Hunk spotted one of the crops move. He pointed Katie in the direction he saw the movement. As they approached the moving crop, none of them realized that a scaly tail wrapped itself on one of the roots until it was too late as it carried the flower pod up. Everyone freaked out, trying to stay inside. Katie closed up the petals so they wouldn't fall down. From the transparent petals they could make out the silhoutte of a snake as it opened its jaw wide open.

It shook the flower, causing everyone to tumble around from the inside. When they saw that the snake was about to eat the flower, Keith pressed his blade against one of the petals, cutting it open for all of them to fall. After they got out, the snake devoured the flower pod in one bite, swallowing it down before turning its attention back to the group.

Lance took out his shield as the snake flung its head towards them. Lance pushed the snake's head away, while Keith and Katie circled around it. Katie held her hands out. 

"Um...how did that ice spell go?" Katie tried to recall. When she finally repeated the words, the snake was barely covered in ice that it shook off. "Darn it!"

Keith took out a lasso, spinning it around before flinging it towards the snake's neck and attempting to pull it back. Hunk came to Keith's aide to help pull the snake. The snake went crazy as it flailed around. The snake continuously bit at nothing. 

"Okay, what do we do now?" Keith kept his grip on the lasso. 

Hunk carefully examined the body of the snake and the crops that surrounded them. The snake wouldn't relent, although it seemed that Hunk and Keith's hands could give up at any minute. Lance took out his sword.

"It might be possible to slash this thing from the inside," Lance suggested. "I just need you guys to keep it's jaw open."

"Are you crazy?! How do you know it's insides aren't strong either?" Keith almost let go of the lasso before tightening his grip. 

Katie took out a pouch.

"Maybe we can't risk slashing it, but we can poison it if it's mouth is open," Katie lifted the pouch up. "This poisonous powder has worked on many living creatures' digestive tracks. It should work on the snake, too."

"I knew I was on the right track," Lance put his sword back in the sheath. He discarded his shield as he ran to the snake's head. He took out an arrow for the snake to bite on as he put his hands on both sides of its mouth. Katie dumped the contents of the pouch into the snake. The snake kept swinging, except it swung even more violently. Lance moved back as Hunk and Keith let go. The snake curled itself up, lifting it's head up and down. It threw up contents of the crops that were growing on the farm. After it was done, it sunk it's head and closed it's eyes. Hunk put his hand on the scales. 

"I don't think it's dead yet, but it's not breathing so easily."

"Hunk!" 

Shay and her family came to the group, some of her family member carrying lanterns. They all gasped and gathered around the snake. Rax kicked it's tail that stuck out.

"So, this is what's been stealing our crops?" 

"More like eating them," Hunk said. 

"How come our traps didn't work in catching a snake?"

"Because this was no ordinary snake," Hunk began. "This is an underground snake. Back when I was working for Witch Haggar, she kept these in her home. She once put one in an area of the forest for the purpose of guarding something very important. It can survive deep underground, but it still needs something to eat. My best guess is that this thing must have been drawn to the magic in the soil of this farm. Especially if this came from Haggar's magic."

"I see," Shay muttered. "I don't see any scratches on this thing. How did you slay it?"

"We poisoned it," Katie answered. "Don't worry, we didn't put the poison on any of your vegetables or wheats. Lance, Hunk, and Keith kept the snake down while I gave it the poison to immobilize it."

Shay looked at Hunk in amazement. "Is that true?"

Hunk scratched underneath his lip. "Well, yeah, but-"

Shay put her hands on his shoulders and kissed his forehead. 

"I'm glad you made it out alive."

Hunk smiled. "I have a reason to."

Shay's grandmother spoke up. "You have saved our farm once again. Please, let us return to the houses so that we may prepare a celebration for you and your friends."

The people cheered as they exited the field. Hunk walked by Shay's side, while Lance took a hold of Keith's hands.

"Your hands," Lance started. He rubbed his thumb against the swollen, beating bumps along Keith's palm.

"I've had worse," Keith said. 

Lance brought Keith's hands close to his lips and kissed them. "You were pretty strong out there."

Keith put his hands on Lance's cheeks, pulling Lance down for a kiss on the lips. "And you were brave."

Katie crossed her arms as she fast walked ahead of them.

* * *

The next evening, Shay and Hunk watched the sunset together. Hunk had Shay on his lap, holding her close. 

"Thank you, for helping us again," Shay whispered.

Hunk put his hand on her elbow. "You don't need to thank me. Looking at the sky with you is more than enough."

Shay lowered herself, stretching out her legs. "I am very fortunate to have you as my suitor."

"Not as much as I am to have you as my girlfriend," Hunk kissed the side of her head.

 

Meanwhile, Keith and Lance were lying down, side by side, staring at the twinkling stars. Lance had his arm around Keith's shoulders as he pointed out some of the constellations.

"I call that one Lance's Blade." Or rather, as he made up constellation names.

"Is this what you do when you're not protecting Garrison?"

Lance tugged him closer. "When I'm not protecting Garrison, I spend my time with you."

"Knock it off."

"Oh, and those stars over there make up Lance's Smile."

Keith groaned. 

"I think my favorite is that one," Lance pointed at a reddish light in the sky. "That one is Keith's Eye."

Keith looked up at it and chuckled. He turned himself to rest himself atop Lance's body. 

"You have the best ways of saying 'I love you.'"

Lance pushed back Keith's hair. "Only the best for my lover."

They pressed their lips together.

 

Katie watched the couples from a distance, sitting atop a tree. She stuck her tongue out. A ladybug landed on her finger. 

"Yeah, falling in love starts out great. But those fools don't realize that love doesn't mask conflicts." The ladybug crawled all over her hand. "I mean, it's not like I'm not happy for them. I am. And maybe I kind of wish Shiro were here, but no. I don't wish he were here. He doesn't want to see me, anyway." Katie lifted her chin. "He's probably not even thinking of me."

An envelope suddenly appeared out of a puff of smoke, nearly causing Katie to fall off her branch. The ladybug flew away. She balanced herself before grabbing the envelope that had her name on it. She opened it up to find a letter.

_My Dearest Katie,_

_I regret not having you by my side in Olkarion. I witness the magic the Olkari perform on a daily basis and each spell reminds me a bit of you. I know that if you were here, you would have been happy. Perhaps you should have gone in my place instead. But we can't turn back time._

_What I can do, however, is apologize. We parted ways in unpleasant terms and I feel that it is my fault for that. I'm sorry. I know how much you wanted to show off that battle suit, and when you purposefully walked along the courtyard in it, showing off how much energy it could harness while I was speaking with delegates, I knew you were doing what was best to give them the impression that Garrison has a strong force. I was a fool to call you a distraction. Please, let's at least talk about this when we're both back at the castle. I pray that day will be tomorrow. I miss you._

_With All the Love in My Heart,_

_Shiro_

_P.S. Ryner delivered this message for me and she says 'hi.'_

Katie pressed the note to her chest and sighed.

"I must be the biggest fool of all if I find myself missing him."


	13. Crushed Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into Katie/Pidge's childhood while she was trained and raised by Witch Haggar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been referring to Pidge as Katie for these ficlets, but this is one where I decided it would be best to keep the name Pidge throughout since this takes place in her childhood prior to her discovering her real name.

Young Pidgeunzel and Rover were out in Madame Haggar's garden. Madame Haggar was watching as they selected which ingredients to use for a sleeping potion. Pidge carried a basket that contained most of her selection. She reached the night shade plant and plucked it from its stem. Once she was done, she and Rover went over to seek the approval for their ingredients. Pidge held the basket out which Haggar took away from her hands. Haggar slowly and carefully inspected each ingredient picked, Pidge sweating from either a job well done or an incompetent mistake. 

"Yes, you have chosen the correct ingredients," Haggar handed the basket back to Pidge. "But knowing what to use is only half the skills needed. Go inside to the study room. You are going to conjure up the potion by yourself."

Pidgeunzel, Rover, and Madame Haggar went inside the house and into the study room. The study room had three desks out with a bookshelf set along each of the walls. On the center desk were tools, basks, and glasses. Pidge moved a small burner and cap closer to the basks and viles. She set the basket down before grabbing her long hair that had reached past the floor and tying it up in a side ponytail. Once her hair was in place, Pidge took the ingredients out of the basket and grabbed a bowl. Rover tried to fly over to her, but Haggar cast a force field spell around the girl. Pidge looked up when she heard Rover flinch.

"Familiars are important to witches, but they will not always be around," Haggar said.

Pidge looked to Rover who hung his body low. She continued with making the potion. She split apart a small fruit and squeezed the juices out of it before taking the leaves off of a flower. Then she took seeds out of a vegetable and placed the night shade inside. Pidge crushed the ingredients together before filling a bask full of water. She set the water to boil on the little burner and cap, which she lit up as she read a spark spell from her spell book. Once the water was boiling, she dumped the contents of the bowl into the bask before stirring. The liquid went from transparent to purple-blue. Pidge put out the flame with a snuffer and then put on mittens to grab the bask. Once the bask was set down, Haggar removed the force field. Haggar grabbed the bask as Pidge removed the rubber band that tied her hair, letting it fall back down to the floor.

"How did I do, Madame Haggar?" Pidge asked. Rover hovered over next to her. 

"It may look well, but we must test it out to know for sure," Haggar lifted her free hand to summon a mouse. She handed the bask back to Pidge, who then poured a tiny amount into a bowl. The mouse was placed on the table where the mouse scurried to the potion. After dousing itself with it, it fell on its side and fell asleep. Haggar levitated the mouse up. "Excellent." The mouse disappeared into thin air. "Your potion making skills have improved, Pidgeunzel. I believe you may be able to take on the advanced levels of your training soon."

Pidge curtsied at her caretaker. "Thank you, Madame Haggar."

"I must tend to my duties now. Keep practicing your potion brewing and spells until I give you your next assignment." With that, Haggar teleported out of the room and, by extension, the house. 

Rover turned to Pidge.

"It's just you and me again," Pidge smiled faintly at him. She turned the pages of her book to repeat a spell that would clear up the table and put everything in its proper place. She exited the room and walked around the house with Rover. Pidge did not know when her caretaker would return. Haggar could be gone for no more than a few days, but she could also be gone for weeks at a time. It was rare for Haggar to return within the same day she left. Still, Pidge used this opportunity to play with the magic found within her spell book or with the inventions that could hold magical contents. 

 

A few hours had passed when Pidge was lying on the living room floor with an open book in front of her. It was a large book whose contents were opened to a page that contained an illustration of a beautiful mountainside. The mountainside was covered in green and mist. And overhanging the mountainside were stars that were painted to come off as brightly as possible. She put her hand on the pages. 

"I wish I could be there," Pidge sighed. Rover flew in front of her. "Think about it, Rover. You and I could be lying against the grass and stare at the stars. If I get good enough with practicing magic, maybe I could make the sky filled with shooting stars. Then you and I could have a million wishes!"

Rover closed his eye and nodded in agreement.

"Maybe my magic could be advanced enough that we could ride on a star," Pidge grabbed a blank piece of paper and a pen and started doodling a drawing of herself and Rover atop a star. She showed it to him. "Well?"

Rover glowed brightly in excitement. Pidge glanced at the window and noticed that the sun was setting, the moon already coming out. She got up and smashed her face against the window. 

"There has to be a mountain nearby. Maybe there is one that isn't far from here. I could practice a spell that might let me grab a star."

Rover smashed into the window as Pidge pulled herself back. Rover shook his head vehemently.

"It'll be okay. We'll come right back. I promise."

Rover sunk down in defeat, placing himself atop Pidge's head.

"Hey, great witches have to take a little risk in their lives. And this isn't even that big of a risk. At least, I hope it won't be. It's not like I'm leaving the forest forever. But what if I do end up getting kidnapped? No, I have to move forward. No one would dare to kidnap me. I think no one would. I mean, I suppose I am only human. But I know more magic compared to other humans, so I guess that might make me more powerful," Pidge continued to argue with herself even as she left the house and wandered into the woods.

Going past the fence wasn't difficult. It wasn't the first time she had gone out of the property. Normally she would stop once she could barely see the house. However, this time around, she walked far enough to where she couldn't see it beyond the trees and vines that covered her view back home. Rover shook up.

"Relax, Rover. We won't get lost." 

Pidge didn't admit to feeling scared herself. Winged snakes and walking mushrooms already passed by her and she wasn't entirely sure if they were friendly. At any moment she could be eaten by the most unlikely of creatures. Or worse: the most unlikely of plants. But still she continued on. She didn't always take advantage of Haggar's absence. Surely nothing bad would happen if she left home for a little bit.

Not knowing how far she had gone, Pidge decided to climb atop a tree. She tried to jump to a branch, but she was too short to reach. Then, a walking tree stump passed by and lifted her up. 

"Thank you," she told it before jumping up again to grab the branch. Once she did, she attempted to pull herself up. It was a bit awkward how she had a leg over the branch, but she managed to get on. Rover floated ahead of her, glowing brightly when his eye spotted something. 

"What do you see?" Pidge continued to climb. She finally reached the highest point of that tree when she saw a mountainside from her branch's view. "Awe....," her mouth remained open before closing it as she smiled. Rover came over to her shoulder. "See? Told you coming here wasn't so bad." Pidge scooted closer to the edge, careful not to fall. The night sky made the mountainside look lovely. She felt like she could jump from where she was and land right over there. It made her wonder how the rest of the world looked beyond that mountaintop. Beyond the forest.

Rover turned around, shaking as he retreated to Pidge's hair. Pidge turned to see Haggar behind her, glaring at her with her glowing yellow eyes.

"Enjoy the view of what lies beyond the forest," Haggar said. "Take note as to how peaceful it is. It is my job to make sure that such peace is kept in the world." Haggar raised her hand, levitating Pidge up and closer to her. She floated them down, Rover following suit. When Haggar set Pidge down, she knelt before the girl. "And it is your fate to follow in my footsteps. If I am to entrust the world's safety to you, you must do as I say. When you go beyond our house, you welcome dangers to attack you. There are many dangerous foes out there who would sooner see you dead than give you the same curious look you give to the world." Haggar stood up, looming over Pidge. "The world is not ready to know of your existence. You have much to learn." She held a tight grip on Pidge's wrist, dragging the girl along. "Clearly, I must remind you of your place."

When they reached the house, Haggar continued to drag Pidge until they reached the basement. The basement had a long stretcher with straps. Pidge shook up. She struggled to break free of Haggar's grip, but it was of no use. Haggar shoved Pidge on the table, tying Pidge's wrists and ankles with the straps. Pidge cried before her punishment began as Haggar rolled the stretcher along into a cell. Rover followed, remaining close to Pidge. Once Pidge was inside, Haggar slammed the cell door shut. Blue electric currents formed on the cell floor, reaching up to a giant dark ball that hanged over Pidge's head.

"MADAME HAGGAR, PLEASE," Pidge begged. "I PROMISE NOT TO LEAVE AGAIN!"

"You must be disciplined, child," Haggar said. "You may be released once you realize my intentions for keeping you here." Haggar vanished from the room. 

Rover nestled closely to Pidge, trying to protect her to no avail. Hot tears streamed down her face as she was met with images of dangerous humans that circled around her, wanting to eat her. She banged on the stretcher, drool coming out of her mouth as more terrible visions engulfed in her head. After about ten minutes, Haggar returned to the basement and undid the magic that tortured her ward. Rover hovered up, watching to see what would happen. She unlocked the cell door and looked down on the little girl.

"My dear Pidgeunzel," she said as she rubbed a piece of Pidge's hair in between her thumb and forefinger, "what have we learned?"

Pidge wept as she responded. "That I must stay here until I am ready to benefit the world."

Haggar undid the straps that held Pidge. Pidge limped, but Haggar caught her in her arms.

"Good. I shall tuck you into bed tonight. But the next time I see you, I will find you within the property of this house."

"Yes, Madame Haggar," Pidge let out. 

After Haggar placed Pidge in her bed and left, Rover nestled himself next to her neck. She silently sobbed against him.

 

Pidge spent the next few days working on an invention with Rover. She didn't dare to go outside, instead remaining in the confines of her house. Rover would occassionally have to nudge Pidge to get something to eat from the kitchen as she didn't stop working for a second, even falling asleep in the middle of her work. At last, she was done with her invention: a pump gun that contained an area to insert a vial. When Haggar returned, Pidge demonstrated her invention on some nearby butterflies. Pidge blasted the butterflies with her gun, which had the sleeping potion from the vial turn into a puff that made the butterflies drowsy. It did not kill them, as they slowly let themselves fall down to sleep. Haggar took the gun from Pidge before patting her head.

"You have pleased me, Pidgeunzel," Haggar said. "Such innovation is what will make up for your lack of natural magic."

Pidge bowed her head. "Thank you, Madame Haggar. And I am sorry for having ever doubted my place in your plan."

Haggar put a hand on the little girl's cheek. "You are forgiven, child. But now you know why you should not disobey me. Such disobedience will get in the way of your training." Haggar dropped her hand. "Come, Pidgeunzel. It is time that I give you a new spell book to practice with."

Pidge and Rover followed her caretaker up the stairs. Before they went into the next room, Pidge glanced at a nearby window. She shifted her gaze away from it as she entered the room.


	14. Nightmares and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Katie struggle to sleep until they turn to each other to get their bad dreams off their chests.

Prince Shiro retreated to his garden in the middle of the night. His body was cover in sweat after having woken up from another nightmare. He slumped his back against the tree atop the tiny hill, his face looking up. He didn't put on his right arm, although he almost wished he did. The only thing that stopped him were the memories that would undoubtedly come back from it if he had it on when he wanted sleep. He stared into space in the hopes of growing drowsy enough that he would sleep. It wasn't a comfortable position to be in, but he felt more at peace within his garden that when he blinked he was surprised to find that it had already been morning. 

Shiro stepped out of his garden where a servant had been waiting for him.

"Good morning, your highness," the servant said softly, having seen the dark circles under his eyes. 

"Good morning," Shiro replied back. He rubbed an eye with his left arm. 

"Shall I prepare a bath for you this morning, Prince Shiro?"

"No, that's quite alright. I would like to get back to my room and change before starting my morning exercises."

"Very well, your highness," the servant bowed, following Shiro as he headed back to his room.

 

Somehow, someway, Prince Shiro managed to make himself look presentable by the time he reached the dining hall. Allura, Coran, and Keith were seated having started eating already. They exchanged morning greetings with the prince, although they noticed he was a bit slow when taking his own seat as a servant brought his breakfast to him.

"Is everything okay, Shiro?" Allura placed her fork down.

Shiro blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He lifted a cup and started gulping down the substance. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Coran wiped his mouth before reaching for the paperwork that was within arm's reach. "Well, we must review all ongoing projects that are in production in Garrison. After that, there are some bills that need your approval, and then you have some scheduled hearings with your citizens. If all goes accordingly, you should be done before dinner."

Shiro nodded, although he wasn't quite excited for the day to come. He took a sip from his cup again although he ended up spitting the drink out when he saw his beloved girlfriend enter the dining hall with her hair sticking out from every corner, drool stains coming out of the edges of her lips, and her eyes, whatever could be seen from them as they were hidden by her bangs, sunken in. She pulled up a chair and sat, reaching into her pocket to bite on a piece of bread.

"Uh...good morning, my love," Shiro stared at her. 

Katie lifted her head before muttering, "Morning."

Everyone stared at her nimbly chewing on the bread.

"Uh...Katie, would you like the chefs to prepare you something special?"

Katie shook her head. "I'm good."

"My goodness, child, are you sick?" Coran asked.

"Not sick."

"Then, perhaps, you have been busy with something?" Allura winced when she witnessed Katie toss her bread on the table.

"I guess you could say that," Katie got up from her chair. "At the insistence of my brother, I came here to show you guys that I wasn't dead. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more work to do."

"Katie, wait," Shiro stood up. "You look exhausted. Please, try to get some rest."

Katie shrugged before dragging her feet out of the dining hall. She bumped into Matt who shook his head as he saw her leave. Matt approached the others.

"Forgive my sister for her lack of grace this morning," he bowed. "I was hoping she would have freshened herself up a bit if she came to see her boyfriend."

"Pidge isn't exactly the type to tidy up," Keith commented. "What kind of work has she been doing?"

Matt sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. She's been distancing herself these past couple of days. I usually find her locked up in the family lab or in the garage. I'm not even sure if she's gotten any sleep."

Shiro looked back at the door that Pidge passed through. "I'll arrange to have her bed modified to better suit her comfort." He turned to Keith. "Keith, I'd like you to watch over her today. If you notice any more odd behaviors from her, let me know."

"Yes, your highness," Keith pushed his plate back and ran to catch up to Katie. 

 

Staying awake for the rest of the day was harder than Shiro thought. He barely managed to pay attention to the status of Garrison's projects and by the time his subjects approached him, he felt himself dozing off every so often. Before he could reach the dining hall, however, Pidge was stomping across the corridor before coming to a halt in front of him. Keith tailed her from behind, almost trying to stop her until he realized he was too late.

"Shiro, order Keith to stop stalking me for one second!" 

Shiro was taken aback. "Stalking you? What has he done?"

"He keeps trying to get into my business, always peering his head in to see my projects." She pointed a finger at Keith, making Keith jump. "I can't concentrate with him judging me!"

"Woah, I was not judging you," Keith moved forward. "I was ordered to keep an eye on you."

"Well, last I checked, you were his personal bodyguard," Katie pointed to Shiro.

Shiro put her hand down. "Katie, please stop pointing fingers at everyone. There's no need for you take your frustrations out on Keith."

"Fine, I'm sorry, Keith. You're not the one to blame," she crossed her arms. "Shiro is."

"What is your problem?" Keith furrowed his brows. "The Prince shows concern for you and you insist on having this nasty attitude?"

"Well maybe if you hadn't been peeking on me, we wouldn't be here!"

"And maybe if you didn't take my actions out of proportion, the Prince wouldn't have to put up with a spoiled brat like you!"

"I'm the spoiled brat? I haven't exactly gotten things my way."

"Oh, sure. Living in a palace and having access to all sorts of tools and technology and magic at your disposal isn't getting what you want? How about you stop pushing your friends and family away when they're worried about you?"

"How about you mind your business? You're not obligated to get into my personal life."

"I am if we're friends. Even if the Prince hadn't ordered me to follow you, I'd still want to know what your problem is. Let us help you!"

"No!"

"Pidge-"

Shiro stopped Keith from making another step. "Keith, that's enough." He looked down at Katie. "Katie, I won't force you to tell me what's wrong if you're not comfortable talking about it. But you can't lash out at people that have nothing to do with what's wrong. So you can either tell me right now or you can leave."

Katie shook her fists before turning her back on the two. "I'm sorry," she croaked. 

Once she was out of view, Shiro leaned his back against the wall. 

"I didn't get much info when I was guarding her," Keith admitted with a guilty tone. "All she did was pick away at her inventions. I assumed she was making modifications, but I never saw her test any of them out." Keith looked out at the direction Katie left in. "But, I think I did hear her muttering to herself. Something about keeping herself busy being the trick to whatever it is I couldn't make out."

Shiro rubbed his head. "Thank you for your report, Keith. You don't have to worry about following her for the rest of the night."

The two walked down the hall, Shiro still concerned over why Katie would want to remain awake.

 

As soon as Shiro finished dinner, he immediately went to bed. He laid on his mattress, waiting to fall asleep. He hoped that going to bed early would make sleeping easier. Shiro closed his eyes and tried to focus on happy memories to lull him to sleep. But even as the memories started off as being carefree, they quickly turned dark. His time being cursed always came creeping in. And those dark times were followed by an even darker imagination. He kept bolting himself awake every few minutes. He decided to walk around the castle a bit, hoping that some light exercise might make him exhausted enough to go to sleep.

Shiro passed by the hall of portraits of the royal family. Next to the one of him prior to his curse was a more updated one that better reflected his looks. He chuckled to himself as he looked back and forth between the picture that had him with his prosthetic arm and the stub that came out of his right shoulder. He shook his head before continuing his walk along the castle. 

It wasn't a surprise when he reached the entrance to his garden. He put his hand on the door, thinking that the garden may help him fall asleep again. When he came in, he didn't expect to see Katie sitting next to Rover's grave. She didn't seem to hear him come in as she clutched on his tombstone. He kept his silence as he heard her speak.

"Rover, I can't get rid of them. Those nightmares, they won't go away," she pressed her head against the tombstone. "I wonder if Madame Haggar is really dead. She won't stop taunting me in my sleep."

"Katie?" Shiro said in a calm tone. 

Katie turned to Shiro, removing herself from Rover's grave. 

"Oh, Shiro." She got on her feet. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be here. Well, technically I can be here because you made this garden mine as well. But it wouldn't be right for me to be here with what happened earlier."

"Katie, it's fine," Shiro looked at her sympathetically. "Like you said, this is your garden, too. I'm not gonna kick you out." He sat down, patting the space next to him. "You can sit with me if you want."

Katie was ready to argue, but relented and sat down again. The two of them looked on at the stream that ran through the garden. 

"So, nightmares," Shiro said.

Katie brought her knees close to her chin. "Yeah...I guess there's no point in hiding it."

"How long?"

"A while. I don't really know. To be honest, having dreams or memories with Madame Haggar has never fully stopped. But, a week ago, they kept coming more frequently. I started waking up every few hours. I figured if I stayed awake, then she-" Katie paused. Shiro leaned in closer to her. She continued. "Then she wouldn't be able to hurt me."

Shiro hummed as he nuzzled his head on her neck. 

"Do you mind telling me about it?"

Katie scratched the grass. "The memories start off when I was training under her. How she would keep her eyes set on me every time I was tested. How she would punish me when I wasn't successful."

"You mean how she enchanted your hair to grow longer?"

Katie looked down. "Yeah...but the consequences of my disobedience before then. She...she would torture me with visions of what the outside world was like. How dangerous it was. How cruel it was." She took a deep breath. "But then my memories branch off from that. That's where the real nightmares begin. I would be behind a cell, with a mirror on the other side. In that mirror was my reflection, simple enough. And then that reflection would morph. I saw myself turning into the witch Haggar wanted me to be. And I saw myself getting overtaken by magic. I felt my body get overtaken by magic. At least until it reached a point where I couldn't handle it anymore and I could almost feel myself explode." Katie faced Shiro. "It sounds silly, I know. And I know she's dead, but I get scared every night that she'll come get me and that I'll lose everything I thought I could never have."

Shiro shifted himself and caressed her knuckles. 

"I guess I wasn't the only one with nightmares."

"Huh?"

He didn't face her as he relayed his nightmares. "I get nightmares, too. I've had them for a really long time now. And like you, they've gotten worse recently. Normally, it's just seeing myself getting overtaken by a curse that's been broken long ago. But then they started going beyond that. I start seeing myself hurt the people I love. And getting a kick out of it. And I'm aware that I'm being controlled, I could feel Haggar pulling the strings. But I can never break free of those strings. And all my warnings and apologies never come out. And worst of all, I see the horror in everyone's eyes. Hate I can handle, but horror? It's unbearable."

The two finally looked at one another in the eyes, empathy in their gazes. They gave each other eskimo kisses, taking in what the other had said. They stood up, hands intertwined and smiles on their faces. Katie sniffed, wiping her nose with her free hand. 

"I'm scared to go back to sleep."

"So am I," Shiro admitted. "But you know we must."

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" Katie gave him pleading eyes.

Shiro laughed. "Of course, Katie. Always."

 

He led her away from the garden and back into the corridors. They entered his room, where Katie let go of his hand and jumped on his bed.

"I can't get over how empty this room feels," she said. "You have the largest bedroom in this entire castle, maybe even this entire kingdom, and you barely have anything to fill it up with. I always thought royals would have like stacks of treasure or fine clothes or expensive trinkets that they collect to cover the their rooms."

"I'm a prince, Katie. Not a dragon. I don't need my bedroom to remind me of what I own."

"Ah, of course. Anything that's within Garrison's proximity belongs to you," Katie continued to jump on his bed.

"I wouldn't put it like that. And would you stop doing that. You're supposed to be going to sleep," he playfully shoved her down the mattress. 

"You're one to talk. You should be sleeping, too," Katie threw a pillow at him which he caught before it could hit him.

"I'm about to," Shiro slammed himself on the bed, his body over hers. They laughed as he pulled her closer to his chest. "Katie, could you pull the blanket over us? I'd normally do it, but my only arm is currently occupied. And I really don't want to let you go."

Katie shook her head. She squirmed her arm free of his grasp and grabbed the edge of the covers. Once she put them on top of Shiro and herself, she wrapped her arms around him. Her smile faded as the side of her head sunk into a pillow.

"What's wrong? Does it feel it feel weird with only one arm around you? I could put my prosthetic on."

"No, don't," Katie said. "I mean, yeah, it feels a little weird when you only have one arm around me, but I don't mind at all." She kissed his scar. "I know you're giving me your all when you hold me like this. I just don't know if I can fall asleep yet."

Shiro kissed the tip of her nose. 

"Take your time. Let yourself relax. And if you have a nightmare, I'll be right here."

Katie's smile came back. "The same goes for you."

The two pressed their lips against each other before lulling themselves to sleep in each others embrace.

 

 

Coran gave a knock on the Prince's door.

"Prince Shiro," Coran called out, "it's time to get started on the day." 

After he opened the door, he was surprised to see Prince Shiro still lying on bed. He tiptoed over, wondering if the Prince had a fever. What he wasn't expecting to see were the Prince and Katie huddled close together, both soundly asleep. Coran smiled at the pair. A servant approached the bedroom.

"Good Wizard Coran, is the Prince awake?" they asked.

Coran left the Prince's bedside. "Let him sleep a little while longer. I'll take care of the morning's business today."

"How long should we let him sleep for?"

"Until noon should about do it," Coran answered. "Oh, and if the Holts ask where their daughter is, tell them that she went to run some errands for me."

The servant nodded, pleased that the Prince was finally able to get some sleep. Coran took one last peek at the sleeping couple before closing the door behind them. 


	15. Keith's Version

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith recalls the events of the story. And if you think his is in any way as close to reality as possible, you are sorely mistaken.

Keith sighed, adjusting himself on Lance's lap.

"I guess there was no avoiding it," Keith resigned to his fate. "Here's what happened when we met Pidge."

* * *

Lady Allura sent Lance and I to fetch the Prince. He was in his garden, levitating underneath a cherry blossom tree when we told him about the opportunity that arose for us to help him break his curse. He stopped floating, his toes reached out to touch the ground. We entered the meeting room, where Lady Allura and Sir Coran came out from the hidden shadows of a sheet that was set up before them. Lady Allura used her magic to present us with an image of an ancient Altean flower that was a key ingredient to a curse-breaking potion. Prince Shiro ordered Lance and I to accompany him on the quest to search for the flower. We were concerned, but he tried to reassure us.

"My friends," he said, "I will not stop you from following me. Nor will I stop you from backing out of this quest. However," he raised his head in confidence, "I cannot stay here. I must search for this flower. I must show my kingdom that their future King is reliable enough to break his own curse. And I will not rest until my people feel safe again."

Deeply touched by his words, I gave up trying to convince him to not go. And so, we went out to the mountainside. It was windy. It was cold. It was snowing.

*****

"It wasn't snowing," Shiro corrected.

"It felt like it did," Keith rubbed his arms.

*****

But somehow, someway, Lance managed to find the ancient Altean flower. But before we could celebrate, we were ambushed by monsters. Lance took the Prince away while I stayed behind and fought against the creatures. I engaged in hand to hand combat with them, but time was not on my side. Fearing that Prince Shiro's curse would activate, I was forced to retreat and join my friends. Prince Shiro looked as though he was beginning to lose control, so I rightfully suggested that we enter the forest to calm him down. 

The forest lacked snow, instead replaced by the falling of the leaves. The change of scenery did wonders to calm Prince Shiro, but we had a new problem: we were lost. As our luck would have it, we witnessed a looming threat nearby. From beyond the bushes, there was a large, strong looking fighter with an orange headband. He knelt down, dipped his fingers in the dirt and sniffed it. He followed it and we followed him. He led us to a tall tower that had a moat surrounding it and spikes. The man jumped over the moat and hopped from spike to spike with ease before reaching the base of the doorless and laderless tower. He pulled out shuriken cookies from his pockets and flung them to the top of the tower, which bore the only entryway in: a window.

Once the cookies were inside, a trail of long, unruly hair came out and he climbed to the top. Prince Shiro took the lead in following him as he gripped on the hair.

When we entered the window, we were face to face with the warrior from before. He held his fists up, ready for a fight.

*****

"Keith, I appreciate you making me look cool and all," Hunk spoke up, "but I'm not sure I appreciate being described as someone looking for a fight. And what's with you guys trying to make me look scary? I'm not scary, am I?"

Shay giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Of course not, my special one."

*****

However, before we could duel in hand to hand combat, we were intercepted by hair that came to life. As we were tied up to the ceiling by this living hair, the source of it emerged. Before us was an innocent looking girl, who eyed us up and down. Now while she looked harmless, little did we know that she hid a knife behind her back.

*****

"Keith, not you, too," Katie moaned. 

*****

"I am Pidgeunzel," the girl said. "Why have you trespassed into my abode?"

Prince Shiro was the one to answer.

"Pidgeunzel, I am Prince Takashi Shirogane. I come from the land of Garrison. We only sought for a way out and did not mean to intrude. However, if you let us go, we will disturb you no more."

The fighter from before stepped forward.

"Not unless you beat me, Hunk, in combat! Pidge, release the Prince so that I may fight him in your name!"

"I wouldn't do that," I tried to warn, the fool obviously unaware of the Prince's curse.

"Don't tell me what to do! Pidge, release him! You can have your fun with the other two."

The hair placed Prince Shiro on the floor while Pidge's eyes turned from sweet to sinister the moment she brought out her knife.

*****

"Keith!" Katie complained.

"Relax, everyone knows you aren't the villains," Keith tried to assure her.

*****

Luckily for Hunk, Prince Shiro was able to take him down without the curse activating. However, when he won, Pidge turned her attention to his arm, claiming that she was the one who built it. While she was distracted, Lance and I took out our sharp weapons and tried to cut off her hair, but it was futile. The hair was too strong and it slapped the weapons out of our hands. The good news was that Prince Shiro somehow managed to convince Pidge to let us down. 

Although we left the tower with the intent of never returning, fate had other plans. Lady Allura detected the falsehood of the Altean flower and we were forced to return to the forest and ask Hunk and Pidge for help. When we returned to them, Hunk threatened to eliminate us for returning. Especially since he and Pidge were forced under the service of Witch Haggar. Lance and I were the ones to engage in battle with him this time around, and we almost won-

*****

Hunk raised a finger. "Uh, I hate to disagree with you, but I think it was clear that I was going to be the winner of that brawl." 

"In your dreams," Lance scoffed. "Keith and I totally kicked that big butt of yours."

"Yeah, we were about to win," Keith agreed.

"No, I was going to win."

"Nu-uh. We were," Lance argued back.

"Neither of you were going to win!" Shiro and Katie exclaimed simultaneously. The King and Queen looked at each other and blushed.

"Katie, doesn't this remind you of how we settled their silly brawl?" 

"Yeah, it does."

The two had their palms pressed against their cheeks.

"Can I continue my story now?"

*****

Despite our new victory, Pidge used her hair to wrangle all three of us up. She began negotiations with Prince Shiro and the two agreed on a treaty: they help us find the Altean flower, and we grant them whatever their hearts desired.

The treaty went along pretty well. During our quest, I learned that Pidge had been taken in by Witch Haggar and never knew who her real family was. I had lost my own family when I was very young so I felt a connection with her over that. But another connection was forming. One between her and Prince Shiro. Their connection would be put to the test.

The monsters from before somehow tracked us down and we raged in battle against them. Prince Shiro courageously entered the battlezone, using his arm as a sword and slicing through the monsters.

*****

"I wasn't that cruel," Shiro remarked with sad eyes.

*****

Then one monster got a hold of him. As it strangled him, his curse was activated and he turned into a ravenous beast. A sight that I was all too familiar with.

*****

"Keith, are you mad at me? Do you have pent up rage against me from when I was cursed?"

*****

The beastly Prince Shiro went after us next. Pidge, although she was scared, managed to tie him down with some vines as Lance handed me the dart to put the Prince to sleep. After all of that, we explained to Hunk how Prince Shiro had been captured by Witch Haggar two years prior and that he went into beast mode when his life was threatened or under intense stress. Despite all of that, Prince Shiro and Pidge managed to reclaim their love for one another. 

She and Hunk were our greatest assets in the quest. In the meantime, Lance and I were facing issues of our own. After finding the real Altean flower and fighting another monster of the forest, Lance challenged me to a duel. 

We were outside of the forest, weapons tied to our waists. Lance pulled out his blade as did I. We fought under the moon, our swords clanking. 

"Lance, why?" I questioned as our swords hit. "Why would you want to fight me?"

"This is the only way I can forgive you!" Lance exclaimed as he tried to swing at me. I was able to dodge.

"Lance, please tell me what's wrong."

"You, you're what's wrong."

Try as I might to hold my ground, Lance was overcome with emotions that gave him enough power to tip off my balance. He managed to fling my sword out of my grasp, his sword underneath my chin. But, there were tears coming out of his eyes.

"You left me," he choked out. "You abandoned me while we were in the training program for the Guard. I wanted to be by your side. I wanted us to be the best in the Guard!" 

Lance let the sword fall down in the same vein as his knees. I looked at him, finally understanding that my actions caused him pain. I pulled him into my chest.

"It's okay, Lance," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you without saying goodbye."

Lance pulled away and said, "I'm sorry, too. I-I shouldn't have talked so poorly of you behind your back. I should have told you had I felt instead of try to fight you. Forgive me?"

I kissed him. "Forgive me, too."

*****

Lance leaned his head next to Keith's, holding Keith tighter in his arms and having a smirk on his face.

"What?"

"You and I both know that I was the one who made the first move," Lance pointed out. "Looks like I'm not the only one getting carried away when describing our love life."

Keith pushed Lance's head away.

*****

The next day, we discovered Witch Haggar's plans. She had intended on using kidnapped animals turned monsters as tools for terror. But the biggest tool she would use was our very own Prince. This could not stand. Lady Allura managed to sense Witch Haggar's location thanks to Pidge taking down her cloaking spell. We set out for our final battle against the evil witch.

As we marched forward, there was an unfamiliar soldier that snuck in with our group. I managed to apprehend him, but I could not fight him for long. Lance, Lady Allura, Hunk, and I fought against the monsters that Witch Haggar set out on us. Prince Shiro fought back against his curse, but succumbed to it when he saw Pidge's tower destroyed and her once living hair among the rubble. He turned into a beast again and fought against Witch Haggar. Witch Haggar pulled a dirty move and made the Prince go blind. The unfamiliar soldier from before held Haggar down as Lady Allura gave her a good paralyzing punch to her face. Haggar, unable to accept defeat, had a venus flytrap swallow her whole.

I continued to stay by the Prince's side during Pidge's disappearance. I guided him everywhere he went unless he sent me to join the others on the search for Pidge. While his curse was broken, he still retreated to his garden to meditate and fill in the gap that she left in his heart. At last, Pidge descened from a portal and reunited with Prince Shiro. She was able to heal him of his blindness and he could see once more. 

Pidge was able to find her real family. The one that never meant to give her up. While I can't say I found a long lost relative, I found something better. I found Lance and his love for me. And the two of us started our own, new family together. 

* * *

"That ending was beautiful, Keith," Lady Allura remarked.

Coran wiped a tear from his eye with a handkerchief. "It may have been a bit violent, but still lovely nonetheless."

Matt and Shay nodded in agreement as Lance pulled Keith in to give him a long kiss on the cheek. Keith furrowed his brows, rubbing his cheek. 

"I still can't believe you of all people overdid it with the storytelling," Katie crossed her arms. "Despite the preposterous addition of making me and Hunk warriors and making my hair alive and indestructible, I do have to give you credit for at least trying." 

"I don't know. Was I that bad to you guys?" Shiro questioned. 

Katie smirked. "To be fair, I would still love you even if you were a beast. Maybe we can still turn you into one?"

Shiro poked her nose. "Not gonna happen." He sighed. "I still don't know how to feel about that. Even if it is accurate."

"Why don't you try to tell your version of events?" Lance suggested.

Everyone murmured in agreement. Katie even patted his chest, expecting him to say something.

"Oh, alright. I don't know if I'll be any good, but I guess as the father I should be able to practice somewhere."


	16. Altean Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura and Coran give Katie a lesson in Altean magic.

Katie sat behind a long desk inside the lecture hall that was within the castle. She had a hand underneath her chin and tapped away as she waited for her instructors to come in. Unbeknownst to her, Good Witch Allura and Good Wizard Coran were just outside the closed doors, making sure they had everything ready for the lesson. As Coran double checked everything on the list, Allura squirmed in excitement.

"I can't believe we finally get to pass down our knowledge of Altean magic to her!" Allura's mouth was wide open. "And since she's already acquainted with magic, it should be a cinch for her to get into."

"Now, Princess, we can't rush these things," Coran folded the list. "While it isn't bad to have high expectations of her, she is still only human. We might want to go over the basics with her first. Figure out what she does and doesn't know."

Allura flattened the skirt of her dress. "I know. But she probably knows so much already. We can show her how Alteans used magic in our society and she can be the one to spark Altean magic being used regularly again. Wouldn't you like that?"

Coran looked at her sympathetically. "There's nothing I wouldn't want more than to normalize the usage of magic." He tucked a hair behind her ear. "But these things take time. Don't forget that it took us some time getting used to the idea that there would be more humans as opposed to natural born magic users. We're lucky that we can introduce magic in a positive light after Haggar's influence over this land. We must be careful in our teachings as well. Even if our new student is someone who has worked with magic before."

Allura took a deep breath. "Alright. I think I'm ready." She pressed her palms against the door, opening it up to see Katie already present. 

 

"Hello, Katie!" Allura said enthusiastically with the biggest smile on her face. She leaned in a little too close to Katie, leaving Katie flustered.

"Uh...hello, Princess....Good Witch...," Katie responded.

"Oh, Lady Allura will do just fine," Allura moved back to Katie's relief. 

"And Sir Coran is fine with me," Coran stepped up, twirling his mustache. "Now then, as you know, we are here to teach you the fundamentals of Altean magic. Tell us, what is your experience with magic?"

Katie tilted her head in thought. "Well, Ma-I mean, Haggar, taught me potion making and some basic spells."

"Such as?"

"I can set off sparks of fire and control light and darkness in a room. I can also do basic transmutations like turn an apple into gold or something similar. Oh, and I can do some simple healing as well as manipulate electicity."

"What other magic are you good at?" Allura asked.

"Well, the Olkari were really helpful in teaching me nature magic. It's practically second-nature to me now, despite the fact that I wasn't so good at it before. I think it's because they taught me the value of going green whereas Haggar only taught me to use it for more selfish reasons. Oh, and I can do this," Katie raised a finger and was immediately teleported from her desk to the back of the room. She waved her arm at her two new mentors before teleporting back to them. "I can go farther, but I don't think I've gotten my landing just right when it comes to long distances." Katie looked at the items that were behind her instructors. "So, what exactly is Altean magic based on?"

"I'm glad you asked," Coran brought the items forward. "You see, Katie, back in Altea, natural-born magic users were very common in the population. So much so, in fact, that we used our magic for everyday purposes. Observe." Coran closed his eyes and kept his hands behind his back. A pitcher of orange juice levitated above a table, along with a clear glass. The drink was poured down and brought closer to the man's face. Coran's body also levitated from the ground, but he didn't seem to mind. He grabbed the cup and took a sip before opening his eyes. "Ta-da!"

"That's all well and good," Katie said, "but I've seen that with Haggar before."

Coran's mouth was agape as he brought himself back down.

"Right," Allura stepped forward. "But Alteans can do more than just levitate." Allura waved her hands to conjure up an illusion to show the entirety of Garrison. "The ability to create illusions such as these made it easy for us to travel long distances." Garrison was then transformed into a full body image of King Alfor. "And allow us to better convey our thoughts."

Katie wanted to point out that she had seen illusions before, but instead opted on asking, "Who's this man?"

Allura smiled tenderly. "This man was my father, King Alfor. He was both a great wizard and a great king. He knew exactly what kind of spells to perform to ensure the safety and stability of his kingdom."

"Would you have been able to do the same things he did if you had become queen?"

Allura was taken aback. "Um, I hope I would have," she quickly got rid of the king's image. "Perhaps we should get back to our lesson. Why don't we start on illusions?" Allura put her hands on her knees. "Think of the simplest design you have ever seen."

Katie closed her eyes.

"Do you have an image in mind?" Coran asked.

She nodded.

"Good," Allura said. "Now, place your hands above the desk and make that image pop out!"

Katie lifted her hands. Nothing. 

"Um...why don't you try moving your hands a bit?"

Katie swished her hands. Still nothing. She opened one eye.

"Did I do it?"

Allura straightened up, holding her elbow. "How strange. I thought visualizing would be easiest for you."

Katie dropped her arms, a flush of red coming across her face. "Oh...well...we could try something else?"

"Good idea," Coran said. He took out an apple that was on the table. "Perhaps we should teach you summoning spells. Now, I'd like to cut this apple into slices, but I can't do that as I don't have a knife nearby. I know." Coran put the apple back down and clapped his hands together. He opened his flattened palms up to reveal an ordinary kitchen knife. He levitated the knife and apple to start cutting away. 

Katie leaned forward, amazed by that. 

"Hah, now I've tickled your fancy," Coran said with a prideful smile on his face. "Us Alteans would summon various objects wherever we went. Even if we forgot something, we could always summon what we need."

"Does that include money? How about a giant ship? Or people? What are the limitations of summoning magic?" Katie asked all at once. 

Coran and Allura smiled at one another. "One question at a time," Coran said. "We'll get to the limitations later. But to answer your questions simply: yes, although there were laws. A giant ship is related to the aforementioned limitations. And summoning people is very complicated and was often discouraged unless desperately needed." Coran pulled up his collar. "Summoning also involves visualization. Just think of it as an extension of teleportation. For now, we'll have you summon a small item. Say a comb perhaps?"

Katie shrugged her shoulders. "Alright."

Allura clapped her hands. "Now, put your hands together like this and imagine what it is you want to summon. Then open your palms once you know what you want."

Katie did as she was instructed, although she ended up rubbing her hands together when they met. When she opened them up, nothing appeared. She tried again, but her hands were still empty. 

"Wait, I can get it," she tried again to the same result. Katie slumped down on her desk, staring at her palms. "I don't get it. What's wrong?"

Allura placed her hands over Katie's. "Fear not. There are still other Altean spells you have yet to know about. Perhaps levitation would be best. Alteans often mastered levitation at a very young age. Some as young as toddlers."

Katie stood up from her desk and walked next to Coran and Allura. The wizard and witch had their arms to their sides as they floated above the ground. 

"The trick to levitation is to let yourself feel free," Coran explained. "Use the magic that has been lended to you from nature to flow through your body. Don't restrain it."

Katie took a deep breath. She shook her body before looking down on the ground. She asked nature to lend its magic to her body. When she felt it coursing through her, she closed her eyes. She could feel body getting lighter.

"Yes, very good," Coran praised as he watched her feet lift from the ground. She was only an inch or two above ground, but it was still progress. However, Katie was immediately thrusted into the ceiling.

"AH!" Katie shouted as her body was flung upwards. She opened her eyes and saw that she was very high above the ground. And then gravity kicked in. As Katie fell down, Allura flew over to where Katie would land and grabbed her. She set her down, Coran following suit.

"Are you alright, Katie?" Allura asked.

"Ugh, I can't get any of these spells right!" Katie stomped her foot. "I don't even know why."

"There's no need to get worked up about it," Allura tried to console. "I simply thought these spells would be easiest for you. They should have been."

"You said levitation was easy for Altean toddlers, and I can't even get that right!" Katie kicked nothing in particular. "I'm gonna take a break."

"Katie," Allura reached her hand to her, but Katie had already stomped out of the room. Allura put her hands over her face and slid down. "I don't know what I did wrong, Coran. I was a fool to think I could have been a good mentor to her."

Coran sat next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Now, now, you shouldn't beat yourself over this. Being a teacher doesn't mean only the student is learning." He put his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. "Both student and teacher need to learn from one another. Watching you grow up was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Not because I could show off my skills to you, but because I learned more about you as you got older. I think we should figure out what's the best way to teach Katie so that she can better understand the magic we use."

Allura removed her hands from her face to see that the mice had also come to comfort her on her feet. She looked at Coran before returning his embrace. "I'll try."

 

When Katie returned to the lecture hall, Allura, Coran, and the mice had made space for the main floor. 

"Are we going to be working on a big spell this time?" Katie asked.

Allura shook her head. "We realized that we were trying to teach you Altean spells with the mindset that you were practically a natural-born magic user. Even if you had been raised by magic, it was unfair of us to have such high standards for you to reach. Which is why we want to teach you one step at a time." She held her hand out. "For the levitation spell, you should know that you won't have to be alone when you go up in the air. Coran and I will be here for you in case anything happens."

Katie looked back up at the ceiling that was no longer damaged from her previous attempt at levitating. She wondered if Allura or Coran cast a spell to fix it. She looked back at Allura's hand and reached out to it. 

"Are you comfy?" Allura asked.

"I guess so," Katie answered.

"I'll lend you some of my magic for this attempt. Remember, let yourself feel free."

Katie breathed in and out. She could sense Allura's magic being transferred to her own body. She didn't look down this time, allowing her body to become light. Her body was levitating up the ground by a few inches and Allura was still by her side.

"Yes, very good," Allura said. "For now, try to focus on keeping yourself levitated at this level. Don't try to go higher. Just relax."

Katie relaxed the muscles in her body. She closed her eyes and let go of Allura's hand. When she opened them again, she was still at the same level as she was before, but she felt she had more control over it. Her dress waved against the magic, her hair rose up, but more importantly, she felt happy. 

"This is amazing," she uttered. Then she looked at a nearby clock. "When and how do I get down?"

"You can come down now if you'd like," Coran said. "All you have to do is release the magic that's keeping you up."

She let go of the magic in her body, although she did it rather quickly to where she fell down rather harshly. Again. Coran helped her up, as Allura came down. 

"I guess I still have a lot of practice before I can perfect it," Katie admitted. But then she grinned. "But I know I can get the hang of it with teachers like you two."

 

 

Allura and Coran continued to teach Katie the basics of Altean magic. They didn't go through everything, but they didn't need to. They worked on a plan that would be best suited for all of them. Towards the end of her lesson, there was something Katie wanted to know.

"So, will there be magic I can't perform since I'm human?" 

Coran tapped his chin. "Well, technically, humans do have access to perform all sorts of magic. But there is magic that is trickier than others, even for humans who spend a lifetime mastering magic. Shapeshifting for example-"

"You can shapeshift?!" Katie looked at the two in awe.

"Yes," Allura answered. "But I'm afraid that is one that humans can't do. It puts a lot of strain on the body. The best you could do is drink a potion or have a spell placed on you to change your appearance."

"Then, can I at least see you guys shapeshift?"

"Of course," Coran offered himself up. "And I believe I know just who you'd like me to turn into." His body changed to become more youthful in appearance, although there was a streak in his hair that became white. When he came to, he looked like Prince Shiro. When he opened his mouth, Shiro's voice came echoing through it. "Well, impressive if I do say so myself."

Katie smiled. "That is so cool."

The not Shiro looked at his reflection against a kettle that they didn't get to use. 

"Now, if I were the Prince, I would grow out some facial hair," the not Shiro had little hairs stemming through his upper lip. "Hm..perhaps my own mustache would look better."

The mice squeeked in disapproval as they watched from atop one of the desks. Another question came into Katie's mind.

"By the way, Lady Allura. I've been wondering this for some time now, but are those mice your familiars?"

Allura blinked. "Hm? Oh, the mice. Actually, they're-"

"What is going on?" Shiro asked from the doorway of the lecture hall. 

"Ah, Prince Shiro," the still transformed Coran said. "We were just about done with our lesson for today."

"Why is there another me?"

"I wanted to see Sir Coran or Lady Allura shapeshift," Katie answered as she walked next to Shiro's side. "I'm pretty shocked by how accurate he is to you," she looked at Shiro from behind, "he's even got your backside down to a tee."

Shiro blushed. "Coran, please go back to normal."

Katie peeked up at Shiro's face. "Now that I think about it, I think you would look better with facial hair." She turned to Coran. "Oh, maybe you could show me how he'd look like with long hair!"

"Now," Shiro ordered as he placed a hand on Katie's head.

Coran returned his body to normal with Allura and the mice laughing.


	17. Hero Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance drags Matt, Katie, and Hunk into a specialized training regiment.

Katie, Matt, and Hunk all stood outside in the training field wearing work out garments of orange tunics, brown pants, and boots. Hunk yawned as the Holt siblings followed suit.

"I don't understand why we're out here," Hunk commented. 

"Me either," Katie scratched her neck. "I just wanted to sleep in from building those inventions all night."

"You stayed up all night again?" Matt looked at her with a peeved expression. "Mom and Dad told you to stop doing that."

"Hey, I'm merely contributing to the benefit of Garrison. You want me to give up my civic duty?"

"What civic duty?! You're not even officially a part of any of the royal committees aside from the Prince's court. And last I checked, building sandwich makers is not beneficial to the well being of Garrison."

"Hey, being a member of the court is totally considered being a part of a royal committee. And seeing as how I'm Shiro's girlfriend, that automatically makes me a member of every royal committee."

"Also, sandwich makers would totally benefit Garrison," Hunk added. "Just saying, in the event that some people want to cook numerous things at once and we can get the sandwiches out of the way."

"Don't encourage her," Matt scolded.

Just then, a horse gallopped towards the trio, with Lance sitting on top, wearing his captain's armor. He made the horse stop before jumping off to address the group.

"Okay, people, enough chit-chat," Lance said, holding his arms behind his back as he paced between the three. "You three have been given the honor of being chosen for private combat lessons from Garrison's Hero and Captain of the Guard," he placed a hand on his chest with a smile on his face, "that's me, so that you may prove your worth for being a member of the Prince's court."

"Since when did becoming a part of the court mean becoming a part of the Guard?" Katie asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Lance pulled out scrolls to show poorly drawn pictures of the group being surrounded by monsters they've faced in the past. "As you can see, being friends," he turned to Katie, "and girlfriend, to the Prince has led to all of us undoubtedly facing off against horrible monsters. Now, obviously, this isn't to say that this is the Prince's fault, but what I am saying is that the Prince attracts all sorts of danger (almost as much as me). So, for the interest of everyone's safety, it is important everyone in the court know the basics of self-defense and fighting."

"Wait, do we have to fight?" Hunk asked. "I mean, I don't want to go looking for a fight if we don't have to. Plus, why am I here? Aren't I strong enough to hold enemies back?"

"Fighting isn't always about strength, Hunk," Lance answered. "It's about agility, aim, and-"

"Is this about me being able to pick up those sack of potatoes when you couldn't? That's nothing to be ashamed of, even if it did happen in front of all those people and-"

"And it's about timing!" Lance pulled out his sword, raising it high above his head. "As Captain of the Guard, I have to ensure that all of my friends are more than capable of holding their own during a fight. Magic and tech won't always be the solution. It takes guts to become a true hero," he put his sword back in its sheath. 

"You have a point, Captain," Matt agreed. "I've been meaning to get in shape and I'm glad you'll be able to help with that."

"See, at least someone has the spirit." Lance scratched his nose. "Now, we can start off by having you run laps around this field. We'll start off at ten!"

"Ten?!" Katie and Hunk exclaimed. 

"Why that many?" Katie complained.

"Okay....five?" Lance lowered.

"Five?! You're killing us, man!" Hunk groaned.

"....Two?"

"Still too much," Katie said.

Lance faces turned sour. "Okay, you know what, you are going to run fifteen laps, you lazy bums! Now, go, go, GO!"

The three of them jogged away from Lance. After the first couple of laps, they were all starting to run out of breath. Lance got on his horse and treaded next to them. 

"Keep going!" he shouted.

They tried to increase their pace, but by the third lap Matt fell down. Katie and Hunk slowed down.

"Matt, are you okay? Speak to me," she held him in her arms.

"Katie, is that you?" Matt reached his hand out. "I can't tell."

Katie grabbed her brother's hand. "Yes, it's me, brother. Get up. We have to move on."

"I don't think I can make it. Go on without me."

"Don't talk like that! I'm not leaving you behind."

"Katie!"

"Matt!"

"Will you stop being overdramatic?!" Lance yelled out. 

Matt got up and continued to jog the rest of the laps they had to run. After that, Lance had them do a series of other exercises from push-ups to pull-ups and jumping jacks. All three were out of breath when Lance came up and announced, "Alright, maggots, I guess you've earned a break," the three raised their arms, "because after that break, the real training begins." The three of them promptly fainted. 

 

The three had their backs turned against one another as they were seated on the grass, drinking out of their cups. 

"Pidge, you're like the consort princess, right? Couldn't you order Lance to stop the training?" Hunk sipped out of a straw.

Katie tugged at her tunic. "I wish. Trust me, I've tried giving him orders before. But Lance says me he won't take orders from me until I'm actually queen."

"Aw, c'mon, you two. This training isn't so bad," Matt panted.

"Not so bad? You were the first one to fall over when we were running," Katie complained.

"Beside the point, I still think this will be a good opportunity for us to become better," Matt leaned away from the other two and looked at his sister. "We can't always rely on Shiro, Keith, and the Captain to fight for us."

Katie groaned. "Fine. I guess you have a point."

Lance strutted over to the group, his hands on his hips.

"Okay, cadets, it's time to get up. And this time, I think you're gonna like what I have in store for you."

"Are you sure time's already up? Couldn't we take an hour long nap or something?" Hunk finished the remainder of his drink.

"No can do, buddy," Lance said. "But I will let you take a quick shower. I want you three to change out of those garbs for something cooler."

"Captain?" Matt perked up.

"Showers are that way. The servants will have your battle suits ready for you."

"Our what?" the trio asked simultaneously.

 

When Katie, Matt, and Hunk got out of the showers, they were promptly dressed up in battle gear. Hunk was given a suit of yellow armor that came with a helmet. Katie donned a green battle suit that had armor paddings on her chest and shoulders. Matt was given an orange and grey suit of armor which came with a black mask for him to cover his mouth. Lance blew a whistle as the three of them entered the field again.

"Woo, I do have some good taste if I do say so myself," Lance rubbed his chin.

"Lance, what exactly are these for?" Katie looked up at him.

"Why, this is for the simulation of course."

"Simulation?" Hunk scratched his helmet.

Lance stepped aside to show that the field had been covered in obstacle courses and props, including a replica tower.

"Seeing as how we find ourselves in only the most epic of adventures, I think it's time we prepare ourselves for when we go on another quest that involves saving a kingdom or rescuing maidens atop tall towers." He looked down at Katie. "Or what passes for maidens."

Katie seethed. "Get to the point, Lance."

"Anyway, I think it's important that we go through a simulation of some sort. Now, alongside these obstacle courses, you three are also going to be against a designated villain. In this case," he gestured for someone to come over. Allura came, dressed up in her pink suit of armor, although this time she was much taller in height and held a lasso. 

"Good Witch Allura?" Matt asked.

"I wanted to take part in this exercise," she said. "It sounded like fun."

"Princess Allura was originally going to be our damsel in distress," Lance explained, "but when I saw how much she was able to kick butt, I just had to make her a challenge for you three. Oh, but don't worry, there will still be a damsel you all have to rescue. Ahem." 

Silence.

"Ahem!"

Out from behind one of the props, Keith's voice called out.

"I'm not doing this."

Lance walked backwards to the prop. "Aw, c'mon, Keith."

"Why couldn't I have been a challenger, too? Better yet, couldn't you have had one of the servants play the role of damsel?"

"Well, I thought it would be easier if they had to save someone they already know. And how could I pass up the opportunity to see you looking ever so lovely."

Keith growled as he walked out of his hiding spot. He wore a long, red dress that had the sleeves fall over his shoulders and a rose in the center of his chest area. He wore lipstick and blush and had a flower crown on his head. 

"Did I really have to dress up for this?" Keith crossed his arms.

Lance grinned at him. "You look stunning in that outfit," he snaked an arm around Keith's shoulders before facing the three in training. "Alright, now that you know who your delicate flower is, it's your job to rescue him atop that tower," Lance pointed to a tower prop. "But you can't just get him out of the tower. You have to bring him back here. To me."

Keith removed Lance's arm from him. "I'm just gonna wait over there now."

"Any questions?" 

Matt raised his hand, "Yeah, how do we-"

"In battle, there will be no time for questions! Your time starts now!" Lance blew on a whistle.

Matt, Hunk, and Katie all ventured away from the starting point. They crossed through puddles of mud, evading a series of non-lethal arrows that were shot at them. They somehow managed to dodge the arrows, but were met with a boulder that rolled towards them. The three jumped into a ditch to avoid getting rolled over. They panted, sticking their heads out ever so carefully.

"Guys, it's official: Lance is trying to kill us," Hunk said. "I don't know why, but it's clear that he hates us now. We are officially toast!"

"Did he even give us weapons to fight back with?" Katie patted her sides to feel anything that could be useful to their situation.

They noticed Allura was waiting by the fake tower, spinning her lasso in the air, prepared to capture them if they should step foot in her peripheral vision. Matt noticed a wall nearby that had some rope to it. No doubt that it was meant as another hurdle for them. But he realized that the rope could be used to their advantage.

"Guys, I think I have an idea," Matt pointed to the wall. "If we grab a piece of rope from over there, we could use that to bring down the damsel."

"Well, that's one part of the challenge we can get through," Pidge commented. "But we'd still have to take down Lady Allura before even getting close to the tower."

"Not necessarily," Hunk brought up. "The minute Allura throws that lasso, she'll be without a weapon. Which means that we can form a distraction and have the non-distraction rescue Keith."

"Wouldn't we need two people to climb that tower?" Matt questioned. "I mean, it doesn't look like an easy climb. And it would be easy for someone to fall off."

"Not necessarily. I've had experience climbing tall towers before. Taller ones in fact." Hunk and Katie exchanged a look where they smiled at one another and nodded. 

"Alright, let's get that rope first," Katie commented.

 

Matt ran in front of Allura, where she shook her head. 

"Nice try," she said. "Don't think I don't know what you're planning. You want me to waste my lasso on you, but that won't do. Where's your little sister?"

"Over here!" Katie shouted as she waved her arms in the air. She and Matt ran circles around Allura, leaving Allura to sigh. Allura waited for the perfect moment to throw her lasso at the two of them, a moment in which they would be closer in proximity towards one another. She captured them with ease and pulled them closer to her.

Unbeknownst to her, Hunk had climbed the wall and unknotted the rope from atop before jumping down. He ran past Allura and the Holt siblings, calling out to Keith. Keith looked out the opening and grabbed the end of the rope.

"Can you tie that anywhere?" Hunk asked, looking back as Allura dragged the siblings to search for him, still suspecting that he was nearby them.

Keith searched from within the prop tower and found a hook. He quickly tied the rope through it before giving Hunk a thumbs up. Hunk climbed to the top, seating himself at the ledge.

"I never thought I'd have to climb a tower again," Hunk said, resulting in a chuckle from Keith."C'mon, Keith, I can carry you on my back, or I can carry you with one arm."

Keith hopped on Hunk's back. As Hunk descended, the pair heard Allura's frustrated grunts and Matt and Katie yelling as they were dragged.

"You didn't take down Lady Allura?" Keith asked, clearly upset that Allura was still out there, unconquered. 

Hunk shrugged. "Hey, sometimes we just gotta do things without doing them by the book." Hunk reached the ground with Keith getting off. 

"And how exactly are you going to get me to Lance? The minute Lady Allura sees you with me, she'll knock you down for sure. And you don't look like you have anything to fight her back with."

"I don't, but you do," Hunk opened his hand up. "Drop your weapons. All of them."

Keith grinned, pulling up the skirt of his dress to reveal an array of hidden weapons. He passed a blade to Hunk. Allura turned her head to see Hunk and Keith. 

"Oh, clever teamwork," she commented. "But I don't think I'll be needing this to stop you," she dropped her lasso and rushed straight to Hunk. Hunk ran to her as well, although he ended up tossing the blade to the siblings' direction. He went toe to toe with Allura, each one throwing punches and kicks at the other. Matt noticed the blade and reached for it with his fingertips. Once he got the handle, he began cutting the lasso up, freeing himself and his sister.

Hunk blocked Allura's moves as she blocked his. 

"Impressive," she complimented. "Even when I'm much taller than you, you still manage to prove your strength."

"It's not all about strength," Hunk said as Katie jumped up from behind, covering Allura's eyes with her hands. 

"What in the?" Allura moved forward only to be tripped by Matt's leg. When she fell, Katie got off of her and she, Hunk, and Matt, took Keith away from the scene where they raced back to where they started. 

 

After they reached their destination, they all laughed.

"We did it!" Hunk fist bumped the air. 

Lance, however, looked at them disapprovingly. 

"You did not," he tapped his elbow. "You three cheated. You used weapons!"

"You never said we couldn't," Katie smugly replied. 

Keith walked over to Lance, who backed away.

"Nope, I don't even want to be around you. You helped them with your escape! You weren't supposed to do that!"

Keith moved his head to the side. "Aw, what's the matter? Is the Captain mad that I gave them a hand in my rescue?" Keith moved closer to Lance and whispered, "You know you like seeing me kick butt," he proceeded to give Lance a peck on the ear.

Lance covered his ear, turning away from him. "That's not important!"

"Well, I think they did a wonderful job," Allura said as she approached them, having reverted back to her original height. "It was quite the challenge and they showed me how I can better myself as a warrior."

"B-b-but...." Lance felt betrayed. 

"I agree with Allura," Shiro's voice spoke. 

Everyone turned to see Shiro approaching the group.

"Your majesty?! You saw the whole thing?" 

Shiro nodded. "I'm a bit disappointed in you, Captain. You didn't ask me to be a part of this game. I would have loved to fight alongside my girlfriend. Or fight against her." 

Katie smiled as the two interlocked fingers. Lance pouted. Shiro chuckled.

"That isn't to mean that I'm not impressed by how you challenged them," Shiro clarified. "You're creativity definitely comes in use when it comes to simulating dangerous adventures. And you gave these three room to use their surroundings and experiences as a way to take advantage of the situation. You should be proud. We could use that more often in our training regiments."

Lance tried to cover his smile by coughing. "Yes, well," he sniffed, "I'm glad you could see that, your highness. Alright, cadets, you're free to go. But I would like to keep up our training. And don't worry, we'll take things slow." Everyone walked back to the castle. "And who knows? Maybe one day I'll teach you three how to ride on horseback and how to duel through that."

"Oh, I want to ride Kaltenecker as my steed!" Katie declared.

"Katie, love, I don't think you can ride Kaltenecker," Shiro said, pulling her close.

Katie looked up at him in confusion. "Hm? But, I never see you ride him anymore."

"Anymore?"

"Yeah, Lance told me that Kaltenecker was both your seeing eye cow and trusted steed. I didn't even think that was possible."

Shiro stopped in his tracks as he side-glared at Lance.

"Lance....."

"Uh...yes...your majesty?" Lance meekly spoke. As Shiro continued to glare at him, Lance spoke a little higher this time. "Well, it's sort of true. Hunk, Keith, and I did buy you that cow to help you get around when you were blind, so-"

"Lance," Shiro's expression changed from anger to joy. "I'd like to help you with the next simulation."

"Really?"

"Mhmm. And I know just the perfect role for you."

 

The following week, Coran stood in front of Matt, Hunk, Katie, Keith, Allura, and Prince Shiro who were all dressed in their battle garments. Coran held a stopwatch in his hand as he addressed the group.

"Alright, everyone, the goal is simple: save the maiden fair from being eaten by those hungry crocodiles in the middle of the swamp and bring him back here," Coran pointed to where he stood. 

In the distance, Lance wore a long, blue dress as he kept jumping around his little space in the middle of the water where purple and pink crocodiles kept trying to take a bite of him.

"THIS IS SO UNFAIR! AAHHHH!" Lance climbed the pole that was in the middle of his space. 

"It's okay, Lance! They're not real crocodiles!" Shiro made clear. "They're only illusions made by Coran!"

"THEY FEEL REAL TO ME! AAHHHH!" Lance hugged the pole as he was spun around.

"Don't worry, Lance! I'll save you!" Keith shouted back at him.

"Now this is the kind of simulation training I could get used to," Katie remarked as she slammed a fist against her palm.


	18. Shiro's Version

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Shiro's retelling of events. If he can get past showering his wife with compliments.

Shiro adjusted himself on the couch and cleared his throat.

"Alright, where to start?"

"You have to start when we met Pidge just like the rest of us," Lance said. 

"I don't know, Lance," Keith said, "if he's the dad, wouldn't it be best if he could start earlier than the rest of us? I mean, it is his and Pidge's story."

Lance crossed his arms. "Fine."

King Shiro chuckled. "I'll make it fair by fast forwarding some parts."

* * *

I was born Takashi Shirogane, heir to the throne, and so destined to become the next ruler of Garrison. I grew up being taught all the skills that would be needed to become a dependable leader. However, I had my own ambitions in mind. And those ambitions often involved venturing outside the protection of others and learning more about the land I was to rule. While the ambitions themselves weren't bad, my mindset is what doomed me. I was reckless, and sought to be out of reach to others. 

One day, I was out in the mountains, out of sight for my guards. I assured them I would be back once I found the hot springs that were within the snowy terrain. But when I found the hot springs, I also came across a terrible witch. She knocked me out with her magic. When I woke up again, I found that my arm was taken from me and as a result, my hair turned white. I would realize that I had been trapped by Haggar, an ancient witch that had plagued many. She had placed a curse on me, giving me incredible strength at the cost of losing all self-control. Becoming a monster.

*****

Katie hugged him tighter, Shiro nuzzling his head on top of her head before continuing the story.

*****

I attacked her suddenly, getting a bit of damage from it, but somehow managing to escape her abode. 

*****

Lance nudged Keith.

"He's getting to the good part," Lance grinned.

*****

Once again, I blacked out. When I regained my senses, I found out that I had been rescued by Lance and Keith.

*****

"There we are!" Lance shouted.

"Shhh," the room responded.

*****

I was grateful to them, but I would soon fall into despair once more. Not long after I had been found did I realize the full extent of my curse. I ended up hurting so many innocent people, including my friends. The blackouts would become more frequent, as did the fear in my people's hearts. There were many times I felt worthless to Garrison. To my people. But, for reasons I can't quite comprehend, and ones I rationalize as bravery, loyalty, and stupidity, Lance and Keith continued to stay by my side and helped me on my journey to find a way to break the curse.

*****

"King Shiro," Keith said with a smile on his face.

Lance made a fist bump. "I knew we were special." Then he paused. "Wait a second. What do you mean stupidity?!"

Keith's expression also turned into shock as the two looked at their king. 

"Right, moving on," King Shiro dodged the question. 

*****

Along the way, we came across the princess of a kingdom long-gone and her advisor. They would be Allura and Coran, natural-born magic users who also fell victim to Haggar's magic. They offered us their services and in exchange I gave them roles as members of my court. After some time, Allura located a mystical flower that was the key ingredient to a curse-breaking potion. She informed us of its location and so we set off to find it.

The flower was located on the mountainside that was right behind the forest Haggar resided in. Lance found the flower, but we were immediately met with danger. Keith helped us escape and took us inside the forest to help me relax so that my curse wouldn't activate. Unfortunately, we became lost. As we wondered through the forest, Keith spotted a friendly looking man that was on his way to a tall tower that stood alone in a clearing. 

We would learn that this friendly looking man was Hunk. And Hunk really was friendly. In fact, I'd say he was very generous towards my men and I. He had to put up with a lot of my men's antics. Hunk was strong, polite, well-mannered, a good sport; Keith and Lance could learn a thing or two from him.

*****

Hunk blushed while Keith and Lance had their jaws opened.

"Aww, Shiro," Hunk placed his hands on his cheeks and swayed.

"King Shiro...," Keith and Lance moaned. 

"You don't really mean that, do you your highness?" Keith asked.

"You can't possibly think we're bad, can you?" Lance pouted. 

"Hush, you two," Shiro scolded. "Let me get back to the story."

"But, King Shiro-"

"Hush."

*****

We noticed that the tower he approached had no other entrances except for one: a single window from atop the tower. Hunk called out one of the loveliest names I had ever heard: Pidgeunzel.

*****

"Pidgeunzel is not a lovely name," Katie nudged his shoulder. "But Pidge is acceptable."

Shiro shook his head.

*****

After calling out that lovely name, a trail of brilliant brunette hair flowed out of the window. Hunk grabbed on to it and climbed. Once he was in, I decided to follow suit. When I reached the top, I was surprised to find who Hunk was with. For inside that tower was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on with an equally beautiful nickname: Pidge. My heart skipped a beat. She was so small, so precious. Her eyes were enchanting and she was adorable with how shy she was upon seeing us. I knew not how she came to that tower or what her story was, but I knew that I had been struck by the most powerful magic that has ever existed: love.

*****

Katie rested her head on his shoulder, her face turning red.

"Shiro, please," she pulled the sheet over to him, "there's no need to be a sap. You're making the babies fussy."

She grabbed his hand so he could feel them kick. 

"I think those are kicks of agreement," Shiro said. "They agree with how lovely and small their mother is."

Shiro scratched under Katie's chin, causing her to giggle.

"Ahem!" Lance coughed. "Can we get back to the story?!"

*****

So we had met the gentleman Hunk and the fair maiden Pidge. Oh, and I could never forget Pidge's most trusted familiar, Rover. A toy pyramid brought to life thanks to the genius Pidge. Hunk was kind enough to escort us out of the forest, although I had assured the girl in the tower that I had wanted to see her again. 

*****

"Which you did behind mine, Keith, and Lance's backs," Hunk tapped his elbow.

"Eh heh," Shiro muttered before coughing.

*****

Once we returned to the castle we were met with bad news: the flower that was found was a fake. We realized too late that Haggar wouldn't make it easy for us to find the Altean flower. It seemed as though all hope was lost until I realized there were two people that could help us. Despite Lance and Keith's hesitance at asking for their help, it was our only hope and I trusted them.

We returned to the tower, this time with the intent of asking Hunk and Pidge for their aide in our quest. After some quarreling, we eventually came to a deal: Pidge and Hunk would help us find the flower in exchange that I grant Hunk whatever he wishes for and find a way to help Pidge go in and out of her tower as she pleases. There was one more condition that was needed from both sides, that condition being that we would no longer hide any more secrets between the five of us. Pidge revealed that she and Hunk were under the service of Haggar and I revealed that I had been cursed by Haggar. I did not give away the exact nature of my curse as my loving and understanding future wife felt that it was enough to simply know that I was cursed.

And so, we continued to work together. I noticed that the more time we spent with each other, the more our group was starting to get along. Lance gradually learned to stop insulting Hunk and Keith learned to let his guard down around Pidge and Hunk. Lance and Keith came to understand that neither Pidge nor Hunk wanted to be under Haggar's thumb.

I, too, came to learn more about Pidge. How curious she was of the world around her, how she adapted to nearly every situation, how her eyes lit up whenever she had an idea, how her face shined when she was happy, how-

*****

"Okay, we get it!" Lance complained.

*****

I learned a little more about her past. I found out that she had been taken by Haggar when she was only a baby and that, despite being human, Haggar raised Pidge to become her ward. I knew that Pidge was a victim of circumstance as was I. 

In hindsight, I should have warned her of my curse. 

During one of our expeditions, the creatures from the mountainside found us. They eyed us down, ready for a fight. Lance, Keith, and Hunk did everything they could to get rid of them. I helped Pidge get to a safe spot, and looked back to see that the others were having a hard time taking down the creatures. I knew the risk that would come if I entered the fight, but I wanted to keep everyone safe. So, I went in. I went in...and I lost myself to my madness. I hurt Hunk, my friends....Pidge.

*****

Shiro lifted Katie's chin, looking at her with apologetic eyes. He gave her a soft kiss, which she returned. Shiro settled Pidge on his lap, where he tucked his arms underneath hers.

*****

Pidge ran off and I went after her. Once I finally caught up to her, I revealed the history of my curse and why I was so desperate to break it. After hearing me out, Pidge blamed herself for my situation. It wasn't her fault and I made sure she knew it. And then, we revealed our feelings to one another. 

*****

Katie kissed his chin.

*****

The two of us returned to the others, Hunk having been told the story from Keith and Lance. It was agreed that we give one another some space for a few days before resuming our search. 

When we got together again, Hunk forgave me for the trouble I caused him and I was able to give him a potion made by Allura to help heal his arm. Despite all that had happened, we managed to resume our friendship as well. It wouldn't be much longer until we found the Altean flower. I had hoped that would have been the end of our journey. The ideal situation would have been for my curse to be broken and for Hunk and Pidge to be free from Haggar. Unfortunately, there was another matter at hand.

Lance helped me discover Haggar's plot to take over Garrison. We went to the forest again where I saw her preparing her attack. I felt low, I retreated to Pidge's tower. That was when we had spent our first night sleeping together.

*****

"W-wait, wait, wait, wait," Hunk waved his hands, "you WHAT?!"

"Oh, right, we never told you," Katie muttered.

"Let me get this straight: not only did you meet her in secret behind my back when you shouldn't have, but you also SLEPT WITH HER WHILE SHE WAS IN THE TOWER?!"

"Woah, Hunk, calm down, buddy," Lance tried to alleviate. "Why is that such a surprise to you? Weren't you in charge of caring for her?"

"Yeah, but Haggar forbade me from ever spending the night in the tower," Hunk clarified. He squinted his eyes at Shiro. "How dare you try to convince me that you're a pure and noble gentleman. I was right all along: you really are a demon king."

Shiro's face turned red. "For the record," he placed a hand atop Katie's head, "it was her idea."

"Don't go blaming this on me!" Katie looked up at him in offense.

"I'm sorry, were you not the one who urged me to stay in your room?"

"And you were quick to say yes," Katie crossed her arms. "Just get back to the story, demon king."

*****

The following morning, I headed back to the campsite Keith, Lance, and I had initially set up. Pidge tried to get me to stay longer, but I, being level-headed, refused.

*****

Katie scoffed.

*****

With the knowledge we had acquired, we had so very little time to prepare for an attack. Allura then informed us that she was finally able to get a location on Haggar. I knew Pidge had to have been the one to remove whatever magic Haggar used to cloak her presence, which meant that it was the time for us to face the witch once and for all. 

Allura accompanied us this time, and together, we entered the forest. We discovered Hunk had been turned to stone, so I went ahead of the others to try and find Pidge, fearing that she was in danger, too. 

I thought I had found Pidge and felt relief. But I didn't realize that the girl before me wasn't my beloved. Haggar made herself look like Pidge to trick me into activating the full potential of my curse. Allura figured it out and all of us engaged in battle with Haggar and her controlled beasts. One of the beasts flung me across the forest, where I landed on the rubble that was once Pidge's tower. I discovered her long strands of her, but could not see her. I freaked out. I gave in to the curse, this time bent on destroying Haggar and demanding to know what had happened to my beloved Pidge. Haggar stopped me by shoving a pepper in my eyes, making me lose my vision. A mysterious soldier came in to hold Haggar back and Allura threw a paralyzing punch to the witch. Haggar allowed herself to be eaten by one of her plants and the beasts became much more tame.

I remember my eyes being in pain, and my head throbbing. I was taken away to receive medical treatment. The curse-breaking potion was given to me, thus my curse was broken. However, I realized that I had lost my sight and that Pidge was nowhere to be found. I spent months sending out search parties to look for her. And during that time, I learned the real truth of how she came to be under Haggar's care.

As it turned out, the mysterious soldier was actually her brother, Matt. He and his family had been searching for his sister for years after she had been kidnapped by Haggar. He aided me in the search and I waited for the day she would return. 

I didn't expect her to literally fall out of the sky as I heard a crash in my garden. I didn't know it was her until she came running into my arms. And then I felt her. Her adorable, durable tiny body against mine. I felt her hair, which had been cut short. I heard her voice that ranged from happiness to sadness. For the first time in months, I felt whole.

I told her of how we defeated Haggar and she told me how she was sent away. She told me of the noble sacrifice Rover had made and how she came to be found by the Olkari. After all was said and done, she dabbed some enchanted lip balm on her lips and kissed my eyes. And then I could see again. And the first thing I saw was her beautiful face. 

Everyone came into the garden and we all rejoiced at having Pidge and my eyesight return. But there would be another reason to rejoice. Pidge was taken to see her real family, where she learned that her name was Katie and that her family loved her dearly and missed her very much. At long last, everything was well. Keith and Lance found true love in each other while Hunk was able to pursue his relationship with Shay without fear of being apart. I was able to rule my kingdom once more, without my subjects fearing me. Katie contributed to the advancement of magic and technology in Garrison and Allura and Coran helped my people get accustomed to friendlier forms of magic. After a while, I finally asked Katie to be my wife, and together the two of us reigned over Garrison as King and Queen. And now, my beloved Katie is pregnant with our children, whom I will cherish as much as I do her.

* * *

The room applauded. There were tears in Lance, Allura, Matt, Coran, and Hunk's eyes.

"That," Lance sniffed, "was the most beautiful story I've ever heard." He hiccupped. "I'm sorry." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve as Keith pulled him in for a hug.

"There, there," Keith patted Lance's back before turning to King Shiro. "It was a good retelling, your majesty," Keith wiped away his own little tear. "But you don't actually think Lance and I are bad people, do you?"

"I never said you were bad people," Shiro clarified. After Lance and Keith sighed in relief, he followed his statement up with, "But I do believe you two are poor examples of chivalry and gentleman behavior. You really should learn from Hunk in that department."

Lance and Keith clutched their chests.

"You did a wonder to that tale," Allura said. 

"Truly a wonder!" Coran shouted.

Shay brushed her thumb over Hunk's face. 

"Don't feel sad, my special one," she told him.

"I'm not sad," Hunk said. "I'm just so gosh darn happy and frustrated by how Shiro was able to tell this story." He eyed Shiro. "I still think you're a demon king!"

"Now I'm really glad my sister married you," Matt said.

Katie smiled, wrapping her arms around Shiro.

"You certainly know how to tell a story, don't you?" she kissed his lips. "I'm kind of wondering why we even did this in the first place. We should just have you be the storyteller."

Shiro shook his head, placing a hand on her cheek. "Let's not say that just yet. We still haven't heard from one more person."

"Who?" Katie cocked her head.

Everyone turned their heads to her. Katie looked around, shocked that everyone gave her their attention.

"No, no," Katie waved her hands. "I can't do it. I'd be terrible at it."

"We'll never know until we hear you." Shiro adjusted himself on the couch. "Just say it how you think it should be said."

Katie took a deep breath, looking down at her swollen stomach. She caressed it a bit before saying, "Okay."


	19. If Shiro Stayed Blind Pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another short exploring what would happen if Shiro had remained blind. Except this time it explores his feelings towards potential fatherhood.

Shiro shifted his weight on the bed as he tried to wake himself up. He felt someone on him. A familiar someone. He engulfed his arm around her, pulling her close to his chin. He rubbed her side, never once opening his eyes.

"Katie, you awake?" he asked softly.

Katie squirmed in her spot, burying her head in his chest. 

"No," she responded drowsily.

Shiro laughed as he shook her gently.

"Come on, Katie. It's time to get up."

"Don't wanna."

"I'll let you ride Kaltenecker today."

"I'm up."

Mornings had once been Shiro's least favorite time of day. He'd blink, forgetting that his blindness had been permanent. That what little visions he had in his dreams was the closest he came to sight. But, whenever Katie slept at his side, he felt more at ease. Less alone. It certainly helped that the two had gotten married, making it definitive for the two to sleep together. And he looked forward to starting the day with his beloved queen.

* * *

They were out in the stables, Katie sitting atop Kaltenecker as Shiro promised. Kaltenecker chewed on grain, while Katie wiggled herself to sit right on its back. 

"Hey, since I'm queen now, does this mean I get to make cows the new official animals of Garrison?"

"Katie, we've been over this," Shiro responded with his arms crossed. "It doesn't work that way."

"Not even if a cow once served as your trusty seeing-eye animal?" a familiar voice approached. Lance leaned on the stable gate.

"I thought I told you to stop telling ridiculous stories," Shiro faced in the direction of Lance's face.

"It's not ridiculous if it's true."

Kaltenecker mooed.

"Hey, I thought the King and Queen of Garrison would be busy these days."

Katie stroked the cow's head. "Eh, there's not much for us to catch up on today. Might as well enjoy these peaceful days, whatever few we can get, now."

"You make it seem like we're going to war soon," Shiro commented.

"Oh, we are. The war against paperwork."

Shiro snorted.

"What about you, Lance? Last I checked, you haven't retired from Guard duty."

Lance smirked. "It's my day off. I just stopped by to check on the royal seeing-eye animal."

"Lance," the King scolded.

Lance raised his arms in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll stop." He paused. "You know, Keith and I have been getting ready to expand our family."

"How so?" Katie scooted more forward to look at Lance.

"We wanna adopt a few kids. We know it'll be a lot of responsibility, especially with our jobs. But, I think we're ready."

"You are," Shiro loosened his shoulders. "The two of you have matured a lot since you first started out. You've come a long way."

"Yeah, I guess. We wouldn't be getting the kids right away, though. It takes a while for the adoption process to fully go through. But we'll be ready." Lance let out a soft breath.

"Alright, what do you want to say?" 

Lance hesitated before speaking. "I was talking with Hunk recently. About this. Families. Or rather, starting families." One of the benefits to having a blind king and friend was that they could never look you in the eye. "And we were wondering if you and Queen Pidge were...thinking about it..."

"Thinking about what?"

"You know...starting a family of your own."

Queen Katie turned to her husband. She didn't know if he wanted to get into the details at that moment. It was a topic that had certainly been brought up. But that was it. Not much further thought or discussion. King Shiro stood upright.

"It's...complicated," he answered. "But it is something that's been on my mind." King Shiro grabbed his cane. "Sorry. I have to go do something."

"Shiro," Katie was about to get off Kaltenecker before Shiro stopped her.

"You don't have to follow me," he told her. "I'll be in the dining hall if you need me." He brushed past Lance and walked off on his own.

Lance looked at him in worry. Katie was stuck in a weird position as she was in the middle of removing herself from the cow. Lance helped her down.

"I'm sorry," Lance said. "I didn't realize this was a sensitive subject for you guys."

Katie shook her head. "It's not your fault. You didn't know." She jumped on the stable gate. "Shiro knows this is something he can't avoid forever. Especially when we're expected to produce heirs for the throne." She rested her chin on her palm. "But he doesn't really like to think about it."

Lance stood next to her, hopping on the gate, too. "I know this might be a stupid question, but why not?"

"His blindness," she answered. "He's afraid he won't be a good dad based on that."

"That's dumb," Lance remarked. "Uh, no offence."

"None taken. But it's more than just the blindness. I think he's afraid of his cynicism from the blindness being let out on the kids we might have." Katie looked at Lance. "I can kind of understand. I mean, I was raised by one of the most evil witches ever and then she banished me to the other side of the world. But I wish he could see that we've both overcome our pasts. And the effects of our past." She tugged at the ends of her hair. 

"Hey, your highness," Lance responded. "Everyone's been through something. I wish I could give you proper advice, but I really can't. Keith and I both wanted kids, so it was never a difficult talk for us." He blinked. "Still, this is something you guys are gonna have to face sometime. Better to do it now than when it's too late."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, please, my Queen. I doubt a short person such as yourself would ever have to worry about a time limit," he hopped off the gate. "Although, I do wonder if you ballooning up is a good thing for someone of your stature."

Katie laughed as she lightly punched Lance's arm. She got on the ground and gave him a quick side hug.

"Thanks, Lance."

 

King Shiro messed with the utensils in his hand, moving around whatever was on his plate. Hunk stood behind him, a worried expression over his face.

"Uh...is the meal not to your liking, Shiro?" Hunk asked. "I can always prepare something better suited for your taste buds."

"It's alright, Hunk," Shiro continued to play with his food. "I just thought I was hungry, but I guess I'm not."

Hunk pulled up a chair. "You wanna talk about it?"

With utensil still in hand, Shiro stopped playing around. "Hunk, you're a father. How do you know if you're qualified for such a big responsibility?"

Hunk chuckled. "You don't." He leaned back on the chair. "I mean, you can get ready for it. Someone shouldn't be a parent if they can't take care of themselves. But when you do become a parent, your kid is gonna surprise you one way or another. There's no preparing for that."

Shiro dropped his utensil. "Okay, but what if there's something in the way of doing a proper job? What if that obstacle also bars you from being a good parent? And what if that obstacle creates more obstacles?" He pushed his hair back. 

"Shiro, relax. Is this what's been eating at you?"

Shiro dropped his hands. "I don't know, Hunk. I don't know if I can be a good father."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

Shiro slowly opened his eyes. He put a finger underneath one of them. "This." He gently touched his eyeball for a second. "I can't see, Hunk. I'll never be able to see my children. What they look like. How they feel. What they've done," he let go of his skin. "What if I can't handle that? What if my other senses aren't enough? And what's worse: Katie will have to do more work than me raising our child. I don't want her to go through raising a child alone. Not when I'm here." He tugged at the end of his shirt. "I feel so useless. I know Katie wants a family more than anything. And she wants us to be a part of our child's life as much as possible. But I don't know if I can do that for her."

"Shiro."

"Yeah?"

Hunk put both hands on Shiro's shoulders and shook him. 

"What was that for?"

"For not thinking clearly," Hunk scolded. "It's fine for you to feel sad over this stuff. I'll admit, I have no idea how I'd handle not being able to see Shay or our son. But you have got to pull yourself together." He grabbed his hands. "You've learned so much without your eyes. Not to mention the obvious ability to rule a kingdom. No one's expecting you to make babies right away. But we do expect you guys to start talking about it. Even if it isn't easy."

Hunk and Shiro got up from their chairs.

"Hunk." He gave Hunk's hands a friendly squeeze. "Thank you." Shiro grabbed his cane and left the dining hall.

 

Shiro and Katie ran into each other in the hall that led to the garden. She walked right up to him, placing her hand over his hand that was on the cane.

"I had a feeling you'd head here sooner or later," she commented.

Shiro smiled. "Great. I was hoping we could talk." He slithered an arm around hers and they went into the garden together. They sat on the hill, the same spot they had been when they were reunited. It felt so long ago and yet also something that happened this morning. They leaned their heads on each other. 

"I hope you're not mad at Lance."

"Of course not. I just, it just came suddenly." He cleared his throat. "I don't know. It's a pretty big step." Shiro stretched his hand out. "I'm scared. I'm scared of disappointing them. And you."

Katie pushed his hand down. "I can't speak for them," she locked his fingers with hers, "but you won't disappoint me. We give each other our all. We're there for each other to make up what the other lacks. And that's what we'll do when we raise our child."

Shiro laid his back on the ground, pulling Katie on top him. He put put his arms around her. 

"You make me feel normal, you know that?"

"Is that a good thing?"

Shiro rolled to the side, pressing her closer.

"Yes."

Katie covered his eyes and gave him a kiss. 

Shiro laughed. "You're silly." He put a hand over her eyes and kissed her back.

* * *

King Shiro had an arm around Queen Katie as she bounced the baby in her hands. He couldn't see her making silly faces at him. He felt a tiny hand on top of his knuckle. It belonged to the baby girl that was right next to him. He carefully stroked her back.

"Does my little girl want to join in the fun?" He let go of Katie and picked up his daughter gently. He stuck his tongue out, earning a laugh from her. Shiro touched the edges of his daughter's cheeks, taking in her smile. 

Their son squirmed and Katie lifted him next to Shiro.

"I think someone wants to say 'hello.'" 

The boy slapped his hand on his father's face. Shiro laughed. 

"What kind of a hello is that?"

"I think he wants you to say hello back."

Shiro put his daughter down on his lap as he put a hand on his son's face. His son started drooling all over Shiro's hand, but Shiro didn't put it down until it was his daughter's turn to dribble all over his pants. Katie picked up their daughter, cradling the twins in her arms. 

"You know, personally, I think they have a stronger resemblance to you," Katie said. "My dad thinks they have the Holt family eyes, but I don't see it."

"I think they look exactly like you," Shiro pulled Katie on his lap. "Beautiful."

Katie snorted. "Really? Hasn't that 'beautiful' line run its course?"

"Not when it's still true." 

Shiro engulfed his family. Katie helped him navigate his lips to the babies' cheeks. Shiro was afraid of forgetting what having vision was like. He worried that he'd never be able to imagine anything ever again. But Katie and their children helped him conquer those fears. He'd never forget. His family would show him everything in a new and brilliant light. Shiro had a new perspective and he couldn't wait to see the world with the family he loved beyond imagination.


	20. Pidge/Katie's Version

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The titular character herself recalling the events of the main story.

"But before I begin, I should warn you all now that I may not remember everything clearly," Katie explained. "And that memory can only go so far, so not everything I'm about to say will be accurate. Furthermore-"

"Just get on with it, your grace!" Lance demanded.

Katie jumped but let out a deep breath. "Fine. Here's how everything happened..."

* * *

Before I was born, my mom was sick. My brother made the risky choice of entering Haggar's garden and stealing a pidgeunzel, a crop that can heal any physical illnesses and one that takes years to harvest. Luckily, he was successful in turning the vegetable into a soup, giving it to my mother and she was able to recover her health. I was born not too long after as a healthy baby and my family was in bliss. Unluckily, Haggar wasn't too happy with her vegetable being stolen, so she stole me and further punished me by naming me Pidgeunzel.

Anyway, I grew up under her study, being taught how to make potions and read spells. I also built inventions for her use, ones that could handle her magic. In other words, she used me as free labor. Plus, she lied about my origins. While it was true that my family stole from her, she told me that they had used me to repay her for their crimes. 

But it wasn't entirely bad. I made one of my best friends using what I was taught. Rover.

*****

Shiro and Katie squeezed each other's hands.

*****

Rover was always by my side and the only one I could talk to. He made me feel less alone. And he wouldn't be the only one.

*****

She looked up at Hunk and gave him a warm smile.

*****

At some point, Haggar hired Hunk to be her assistant as well as to watch over me while she was away. Which trust me, she was away for long periods of time. She essentially kicked me out of her house and forced me to move into a tower that had no staircase and only a single window to enter through. If that wasn't bad enough, she enchanted the tower so that it would get taller the longer my hair was.

Still, I was grateful to have another person I could talk to. Hunk proved to be a sweet, nice guy and he always helped me out with my inventions. As well as with washing my hair, making me food, and generally taking care of me.

*****

"I think the word you're looking for is 'nanny,'" Lance remarked.

"What happened to 'handmaiden?'" Hunk asked.

Lance tilted his head. "Eh...either one could work, but 'nanny' just came to mind first."

*****

Anyway, Hunk also told me more about the outside world and he proved to be good company for the next three years. After those three years, I would meet even more good company.

One day, I forgot to pull my hair back up after Hunk came in, but I wanted to let it out for a while. I felt a force pull on my hair, and when I looked out the window I was greeted by a lanky knight, an emo ninja-

*****

"A what?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow.

*****

-and the most amazing person in the world. He was tall, broad-shouldered, strong, incredibly handsome, and just...perfect. And his name, so simple, yet so beautiful: Shiro. He hopped over my window, kneeling before me, before gently grabbing my hand with a familiar arm.

"My lady, forgive me for intruding upon your humble abode," he said as he pressed his lips against my hand. "I couldn't help but notice the blueprints surrounding your room. You must be quite the genius. I hope your intelligence can be passed on to my idiot men."

*****

"Okay, now you're just making things up!" Lance complained. "Shiro never said any of those things. And why are you imagining him as some ideal noble prince on horseback that speaks poetically about your smarts?"

"Are you trying to say I wasn't a noble prince?" Shiro narrowed his eyes at him.

"Eh...no, of course not, King Shiro. You were the most noblest of princes. I mean, not that you aren't noble anymore, but you're not a prince anymore. You're a noble king now."

"Hey, can we maybe get back to Queen Pidge calling me 'emo?'" Keith asked. 

"Not now, Keith," Lance continued. "All I'm saying is that you never said those things nor did you come to her tower so perfectly."

"Lance is right," Hunk brought up. 

"Hey," Katie said, "my story, my way of telling it."

*****

I recognized the arm as being one of my inventions. I asked him about it and he told me that it had been attached to him one day. Feeling sorry for him, I didn't make a fuss over it. Especially when he was so kind, polite, patient-

*****

"Pidge!" Lance complained.

*****

But Hunk didn't want them staying for long, so he kicked them out. However, Hunk's overprotective nature could not stop my beloved Shiro from stopping by again. He entered my tower in secret, being impressed by my inventions as I was impressed by how well he could manage the arm. And that wouldn't be the last of his visits. 

Eventually, he and his crew returned to my tower, after Keith removed all those weapons on him. Which, I still don't know how it was humanly possible for him to carry all those weapons on him without either hurting himself or having to waddle through the forest. But I'll have to test that out another day. At the time, they came back to my room and when Hunk found out that Shiro came to the tower by himself, he wanted to kick them out again. He got into this big fight with Keith and Lance, much to mine and Shiro's grievances.

*****

"Which, by the way, was totally Hunk's fault."

"It was so not my fault!" Hunk gasped. "It was you and Keith's fault."

"Hey, you were the one who wanted us out all because King Shiro visited Queen Pidge," Keith argued.

"Oh, yeah? Well-"

"Stop!" Shiro and Katie scolded simultaneously.

*****

So, it was up to Shiro and I to stop their childish bickering. We were able to come up with a treaty that would ease both sides: Hunk and I would help Shiro on his quest to search for an Altean flower that was an ingredient to breaking curses in exchange for Shiro granting Hunk whatever he wanted and helping me find a way to come and go from my tower as I please.

The quest was actually kind of fun. For the first time in three years, my feet touched the ground. I got to run around the forest and gather all sorts of stuff as well as come across some playful creatures. I also got to know a little more about Shiro, Lance, and Keith. I mean, Shiro I knew wasn't bad, but then I found out that Keith and Lance weren't so bad, either. And that they may or may not have had major crushes on each other.

*****

"You knew?!" 

"Lance, everyone knew," Katie answered. 

"Nu-uh!"

"Actually, I had the sense that you two cared about each other deeply," Allura commented.

"Yeah, you guys weren't so good at hiding it," Hunk added.

"Wait, we were supposed to think you didn't have feelings for Keith?" Coran asked.

Shiro, Shay, and Matt all giggled silently as Lance dropped his head in embarrassment. Keith patted Lance's hair.

*****

I wish I could say it was all good times. But it wasn't.

During one of our expeditions, terrifying monsters circled our group. Everyone was giving it their all in the battle. Except me. I couldn't do anything. I wasn't strong enough. I didn't know how to fight. I made Shiro fight for me. And because of that...his curse got activated.

*****

Shiro tucked a hair behind her ear.

"Don't say that," he leaned close to her head.

*****

He threw off the monsters, sure, but he also got consumed with bloodlust. He went after everyone. I managed to do something useful for once and he was knocked out. But the damage was done. Hunk, Keith, and Lance all got hurt and it was because of me.

As it turned out, Shiro had been cursed by Haggar two years prior. He lost his arm in exchange for a scar, white hair, and a curse. All because I had to go and make that arm in the first place.

*****

Shiro pulled her closer, nuzzling her hair.

"It wasn't your fault," he whispered. "Please don't blame yourself."

Katie squeezed his arm before continuing.

*****

But Shiro and I learned something that day. We learned that we were in love. 

Shiro respected Hunk's wishes of giving us space for a few days. And after those few days, things were a bit awkward, but we managed to pull through. Once the air was clear between us, we resumed our search for the flower. 

When we finally found it, we had to make sure to cover our tracks. Hunk had our backs and was able to make it look like we were never there in the first place. All that was left was for Shiro to grant Hunk's wish and for him to help me.

"Pidge, run away with me," Shiro said as he scooped me up in his arms. "Come live in my castle and become an esteemed genius. We'll display your work in museums and have you perform lectures in only the best universities of Garrison. And most importantly," he leaned in close to my face, "we can do all of this together, my love."

*****

"I'm pretty sure King Shiro wasn't that dramatic with his offer," Keith pointed out.

*****

Alas, I could not agree to go with my beloved. I knew that if I were to leave, Haggar would do everything in her power to hunt me down. And so, with a heavy heart, I declined Shiro's offer.

Not long after, he returned to me once more. He bore news of how Haggar had transformed innocent animals into ravenous beasts. Shiro was afraid of what was to come, but I affirmed that I would always be by his side. Night had fallen, and I could not let Shiro go back to the dangerous outside. I offered to have him stay inside my tower for the night, which he gladly accepted. Although, what I did not expect was for him to sleep right by my side.

*****

Shiro looked down at Katie. "Not expect? You were the one who asked me to sleep next to you." 

Katie turned her head from him. "Don't be silly."

"I offered to sleep on the floor, but you were insistent on sharing the bed!"

She smirked.

*****

After that wonderful night shared with the love of my life, he had to leave and return to his men, who coincidentally confessed their love to one another. 

But later on that day, Haggar visited my tower with a grave discovery. She found out that the Altean flower was found and that someone had tried to cover it up. Before I could take responsibility, Hunk took the fall for everything. He lied about coercing me to help him and as punishment, Haggar turned him into stone. She finally told me her plan: to take over Garrison with me and her as the new leaders and Shiro as our mind controlled slave.

I couldn't let her get away with this. As soon as she left again, I made plans to escape my tower. It wasn't easy. I had to leave behind many of my belongings, take only what I needed. But that wasn't all.

*****

Kate rubbed the ends of her hair.

*****

If I wanted to guarantee escape, I had to cut off my hair. Rover didn't want me to chop it off, but it had to be done. Once I cut the last strand of long hair, the tower lost stability and came crashing down. Rover hovered me to the ground where we started to find a way out of the forest. I came across Hunk, whom I tried to unbreak the spell, only to be thrwarted by none other than Haggar. Haggar destroyed my book of spells and chased after me. When Rover and I found cover, we had to think of a way to distract her so that I could remove the cloaking spell that was within the forest. Rover sacrificed himself, too, for my sake. He led Haggar away and she destroyed him.

I didn't let Rover's sacrifice be in vain. I used all of my energy to remove the cloaking essence so that she couldn't hide anymore. Although I was successful, Haggar banished me to the other side of the world, where I landed in a dumpster in the middle of nowhere.

I travelled for days, not knowing where to go and having no company beside me. I was completely alone.

But then I woke up in a well-kept room. I immediately found myself among others. The Olkari. They had been practicing their own magic and found me. Although they were masters of teleportation, they had not been anywhere near Garrison for centuries. They agreed to help me by teaching me their magic, though I was afraid I wouldn't be any good at it. That's when their leader, Ryner, told me that most Olkari aren't natural-born magic users and make use of the forest's magic to help them. 

She taught me how to manage nature magic, a skill I never thought I'd be good at. But she made me understand how working with nature was all about the process of giving and receiving and how everything is linked together. With that in mind, I would be ready to practice teleportation. Once I had gotten the hang of travelling long distances, I knew I was ready to leave.

Ryner gave me a magical lip balm that would glow when ready as a gift before I said my goodbyes and found a quiet place to teleport from. I hadn't actually been to Garrison and I was too scared to return to the forest. My heart was telling me where I really wanted to be. And where I wanted to be was by Shiro's side.

*****

Shiro smiled.

*****

And so, I performed the spell and arrived in Shiro's garden.

Shiro was only a few feet away. I ran into his arms, glad to see him again. Although I found out that he could not see me. Although they had defeated Haggar, Haggar managed to blind Shiro before her downfall. I felt at fault for all that had happened, but Shiro assured me that it wasn't my fault. He still loved me. Hunk wasn't angry with me and was desperate to find me. I was welcomed into his home.

By another convenient coincidence, the lip balm glowed and I applied it to my lips. I didn't really know what to do with it, but I kissed Shiro's eyes. And then, he could see again.

Hunk, Keith, Lance, and Allura all came in the garden, overjoyed at both my return and Shiro's returned vision. We all hugged and kissed and all that other mushy stuff one does when there's nothing but good news. 

And by another coincidence...

*****

Katie paused. "You know, I'm only now realizing how many coincidences and lucky turns there are."

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked.

Katie waved a finger. "I mean, you just happened to have the arm that I conveniently built all those years ago. While you and I were alone, Keith and Lance had a romantic evening of their own. When I came back, my family was conveniently loving and had been waiting for me for such a long time. And then, by chance, Lance, Allura, and Coran happened to meet my parents prior but never Matt and my parents never really told them explicitly that they had been missing a daughter, which probably could have helped Lance piece together that I was theirs."

"What's your point?" Keith asked.

"My point is: doesn't it all seem weird how everything was connected and yet coincidences prevented things from happening earlier or even at all?"

Keith put his fingers over his lips. "Hm...yeah, that is weird?" He looked at her. "You don't think this is all part of some elaborate-"

Katie's eyes grew huge, but Shiro cut them off.

"Okay, let's try not to overanalyze this." He ruffled Katie's hair. "Please continue, sweetie. I don't want the babies to start getting into conspiracies before they're even born."

"Is that even possible?" Katie rubbed her stomach. "Are you saying-"

"Katie, please."

"Fine."

*****

So after I returned, Shiro and Hunk led me through the castle to a particular room. They told me of some people that wanted to meet me, but I couldn't think of who. That's when we bumped into my brother. Meeting him for the first time was surreal. He looked nearly identical to me. We had the same colored eyes, our hair color was similar, and by another coincidence-

*****

"Katie," Shiro narrowed his eyes.

*****

And by chance, we had the exact same hairstyle. It was like looking at my own reflection, albeit with him being a bit taller and with dorky glasses. 

*****

"My glasses are not dorky," Matt said.

"Shh, please, brother. Allow me to finish. And they are so dorky."

*****

Matt ended up leading us to the room where I came across another pair of people I never thought I'd meet: my parents. Matt explained the truth to me, and then some. How he, Mom, and Dad all spent my lifetime searching for me. I initially didn't know how to feel, but it was easy to tell the sincerity in my big brother. I knew he was telling the truth. At last, I had what I had longed for. And as we spent that time getting to know one another, I realized I had gotten more than what I could have ever hoped for.

In the end, I gained a family. A family filled with people I cared about and who cared about me back. Even Rover would remain a part of this family, despite me being unable to bring him back. I was happy and loved.

While not everything was easy, my life seemed to turn for the best. I dedicated myself to becoming an architect and learning more about magic. My family encouraged me to continue making inventions. And eventually, I got married to the most handsome, kind, and selfless prince in the entire world. 

And after we were married, I became pregnant and I know that no matter what happens, we'll always be together.

*****

Everyone clapped.

"I have to say, I'm impressed, Queen Pidge," Lance commented. "I didn't think you'd have it in you to keep me invested."

"What Lance is trying to say is that you did a good job, your highness," Keith said after he elbowed his husband.

Hunk got up and gave Katie a side hug. "You are so precious!"

Shay giggled, but agreed with him.

"I'm glad you consider all of us family, Katie," Allura remarked as she, Coran, and Matt got up to join the others. 

"It truly is an honor for you to think of us as such," Coran added.

Hunk stepped out of the way so Matt could put his arm around his sister.

"You're the best smart aleck of a sister I could have asked for."

Katie felt herself blushing. She shook her head and waved her hands. 

"Okay, okay. We don't need to get all mooshy again," she tried to hold back tears. 

Everyone dispersed while Katie wiped her eyes. Shiro smiled lovingly at his wife before putting a hand on her stomach.

"Good job, my love."

Katie nodded. "Okay, but now we need to decide which of us told the story better."


	21. Picking Up Loved Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie realizes she's the only one of the couples in her friends group that can't pick up her beloved.

Lance and Keith were helping Katie and Matt with testing out an invention that could protect people from magic. She recited a few spells as the two turned on their devices with Matt taking notes. The devices worked for the lower-level spells, but seemed to be less sufficient for higher level magic. With that in mind, Matt figured that more tinkering would be needed to ensure more quality protection. 

"The barriers require more protectant magic inside," Matt jolted down, "but we'd need a bigger storage for more magic."

"I say we also look for a way to make sure that the magic stays replenished," Katie added. "We have to keep in mind the remote villages that are miles away from a source that could offer protection from any evil-doers."

"That is true. Maybe we could increase the size of the device and see make it solar-powered?"

"Maybe. Although I'd like to research other renewable sources."

"Hey, I get that this is important and all, but how much longer do we have to be here?" Lance asked.

"Oh, sorry, Captain," Matt saluted, "you and Keith are excused."

Katie noticed some plan sheets rolled up atop a toolshed. She tried to reach for it, but it was too high for her. Lance smirked as he waltzed over and ruffled her hair.

"Pardon me, little lady. I got this," Lance stretched his arm out, but found that the sheets were still out of his reach. "What in the?" He got on his tiptoes and his fingers barely brushed them. "Who the heck put these all the way up here?" Before he could do anything more, he felt himself being carried. Lance blinked as Katie's mouth hung open. He looked down to see that Keith had lifted him up.

"Is this better?" Keith asked.

"Uh...yeah, I guess," Lance got a hold of the plans and dropped them for Katie to catch. "You know, it feels kind of weird having my short partner carry me."

Keith rolled his eyes. "First of all, just because you're taller than me does not make me short. Second," he tossed Lance a bit only to catch him bridal style, "consider this my compensation for the amount of times you carry me."

Lance shook his head, kissing Keith on the cheek. "You think you can carry me all the way to our date?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

Keith gave a sly smile. "Challenge accepted."

With that, he carried Lance out of the room. Pidge remained shocked. 

"I knew Keith had to have some muscle, but I didn't think he'd actually be able to carry Lance," she commented.

Matt took the plans from her. "Yeah, but I guess we really can't underestimate the strength of anyone who works under the Pri-, I mean Shiro."

"I suppose."

 

Matt and Katie took their notes and plans to their father, who examined the devices that were made. He wrote over the plans to indicate the changes in design that would have to be made. Upon hearing the suggestion of a renewable source of protection magic, he wrote down a list of renewable energy sources with the intent of trying them all out.

"We want to make sure we have the best one for people," he declared. "Especially for families with babies," he petted his daughter's head, which she could only nod in response. "Alright, you two. I'll see what I can do. You go take the rest of the day off."

"Thanks, Dad," Matt said. "Wanna go grab some lunch, Katie?"

"Sure." Katie looked back at her dad. "Dad, you want us to bring you anything?"

Sam waved his hand. "I'll be fine, kiddo." Just as he said that sentence, Colleen entered the lab with a servant close by, who carried a tray with two plates of food. "Your mom promised me a lunch date."

Colleen giggled before sitting beside her husband and giving him a kiss on the cheek. The servant set the food down, being given thanks and a tip by the Holt parents before being given permission to leave. 

 

Katie and Matt were on their way to the kitchen, talking all the while.

"Katie, that's impossible. There's no way you can defeat three monsters at once while riding a single steed."

"Ah, it might be less probable if that steed is a horse. But if that steed should be a cow-"

"Katie, no."

"Yes."

By the time they reached the kitchen, Hunk took out a steaming roast beef from the oven. 

"You guys are here just in time," he grinned, setting the roast beef on the countertop. "You'll be able to enjoy this quality meat that's been freshly made."

Matt took in the scent. "It smells delicious, Hunk." 

Hunk cut slices of the beef, serving them on individual plates. He scooped up some potatoes to sit next to the roast before serving the food to the Holt siblings. Matt took a bite out of the food.

"Mmm, and it tastes delicious, too," he stared at his plate in awe. "I almost wish you had been my handmaiden."

Hunk raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna have a stern talking to with Lance later."

There was a knock at the entrance of the kitchen. Shay was standing here, a yellow flower clip in her hair as she wore a loose, but finely designed green dress with yellow borders. Hunk's eyes grew wide.

"Shay..."

Shay brought a hand close to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I arrive too early?"

Hunk looked at the nearest clock, shaking his head. "No, not at all." He rushed to her side, grabbing her hand. "You're right on time." He brought her hand down to his lips and kissed it. She chuckled, using her other hand to brush his hair. Hunk looked back at the pair. "You guys enjoy your lunch. There's a cake behind you for dessert. I'm gonna go out with Shay for a while." With that, he picked her up, holding her close in his arms.

Katie nearly dropped her fork as the couple left. 

"What is it now, Katie?" Matt looked at her.

Katie pushed her food around. "Look, I know that Hunk's a strong guy, so it shouldn't surprise me," she tapped the fork against the plate, "but not only is he shorter than Shay, but Shay looks almost as muscular as him. Is this normal? Are couples' usually this versatile on who carries who?"

Matt laughed. "It's not always like that. Hunk and Keith are just exceptions to that rule. You said it yourself, Hunk's a strong guy." He took another bite out of his meal. "I don't see why you're worked up about it, though."

Katie chewed on her food, still in disbelief. "Well, Shiro's always carrying me. But I know I'm not strong enough to lift him up. What if that bothers him? Especially when all of our friends who are in relationships can switch just like that."

"I doubt Shiro's ever thought about that. Again, Keith and Hunk just happen to be pretty strong guys who have partners that are equally strong. Nothing complicated about that."

Katie hummed to herself. "Yeah. I guess you're right." She felt more relaxed. "I guess I'm still trying to learn what is or isn't normal for relationships in the real world."

"If we're talking normal, I don't think having a prince find your tower qualifies as that."

 

The two continued their banter as they ate. When they were done, they went out to the courtyard and messed around with Lance's bows and arrows. They practiced with the targets, although Matt decided to move from targets to tree branches. They made a little competition to see who could shoot an arrow to the tallest branch and have it stick. Only Matt's arrows seemed to stick, which he pridefully gloated to his little sister.

"Alright, fancy shot, how are you gonna get that arrow down?" 

Matt looked at the tree and acted as if that were an easy question to answer. 

"Pfft. I have hands, dear sister. I'll climb the tree and get it down."

He bolted to the tree, shifting his weight and reaching his arms ever so carefully. He had gotten to a well enough height that he crawled across the branch and removed the arrow. When he looked down, he started to feel nervous.

"Uh..."

"Something wrong?" 

Matt shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." He gulped. He slowly crawled back, attempting to steady himself back down. However, he felt his body tingle and he lost balance.

"Matt!"

In a rush, Allura came running to their direction, holding her arms out. When Matt fell, she had caught him with ease. Matt opened his eyes to find himself in her arms.

"Are you alright?" Allura asked. 

Matt felt a rush of warmness hit his face, his heart beating fast. ".......Yes."

Katie pouted, crossing her arms. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Katie?" Allura looked at her in confusion.

"I'm going to look for Shiro."

"That's good timing. I just came back from helping Shiro going over some bills. He should be on his break as I am."

"Good!"

Katie hurried out of the courtyard, leaving Matt to explain to Allura what was on her mind.

 

Shiro was in one of the parlor rooms, spinning a globe that was atop a small table. He didn't realize when his girlfriend had walked in until she was standing over him.

"Hello, love," Shiro smiled at her. "Allura must have told you I was on my break." He tapped the empty space next to him. "Please, tell me how your day has been so far."

"Shiro, I need you to stand."

"Huh?"

Katie held his hands and tugged him up.

"Uh...okay?"

Katie examined him, circling around him, before going back to where she originally stood. She nodded to herself. 

"I think I've got it."

"Got what?"

Katie crouched down, enveloping her arms around his legs. She squeezed them, but before she could move him, he extended his right hand to her head.

"Woah, woah, stop! You're gonna hurt yourself."

Katie looked up at him with determination in her hands. "Not if I lift you like this."

"Katie, please. Don't do this."

"I have to!" Katie's eyes were burning. "It isn't fair that we're the only couple in our circle of friends who don't take turns carrying each other."

"Take turns?"

"Yeah. Keith and Lance can carry each other. Hunk and Shay. Even Allura can pick up Matt, and they're not even a couple!"

Katie huffed as she continued channeling her strength to lifting up Shiro.

"Katie, I think it's sweet that you want to take turns. But it's really not that important."

"It is now!"

Katie let out a scream as she tried to carry Shiro. He wasn't even trying to put his weight on the ground, as she wobbled in getting him up. There was a crack that echoed throughout the room.

"Katie."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want me to fetch the doctor?"

"......Yes."

"Do you want to lie down on the couch?"

".......Yes."

 

After getting examined, one of the castle doctor's concluded that she had broken her back. The good news was that it wasn't a serious injury. She would require plenty of rest and medicine, but she'd make it. Matt could only shake his head in disappointment.

"I can't believe you actually tried that," he said. 

Katie muffled her groan in a pillow.

"He's right you know," Shiro added. "You're a very smart girl, but that was a pretty foolish action."

"Ah," she complained.

"You're lucky I love you enough to take the fall for this," Matt said.

"What are you talking about?" Katie lifted her head.

"I'm gonna tell Mom and Dad that I fell on top of you. I doubt they wanna hear that you caused yourself to break your back. Plus, I have no idea if they'd put some of the blame on Shiro." 

Once Matt exited the room, Katie went back to sulking. Shiro sighed. He lifted her head so that she could rest against his lap. He set the temperature low on his right arm.

"Tell me if it's too cold for you." He put his arm on her back. 

She squealed a bit, but felt relaxed. She started feeling better and nuzzled against his thighs.

"What am I going to do with you?" Shiro brought his free hand to her face. 

"Let me use you as my resting spot while my back recovers because I put in the effort to carry you?" She kissed his palm.

Shiro nearly scoffed, but instead leaned down to kiss her and then sat back up.

"Fine."

"You know, maybe if I invent a special armor-"

"Katie," he said in a stern tone.

"What? I'm just-"

"Shush," he made his arm cooler. "Rest."

"But I-"

"Rest."

Katie pouted in defeat, but fell asleep on Shiro's lap anyway. 


	22. Storyteller Selected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storyteller for Katie and Shiro's children is decided upon.

Lance smiled, raising his hands. "Alright, judges. You don't have to wait any longer." He put a fan close to his chest. "I know my version of events was the best."

"Yours was the most off base," Keith flicked his face.

"Yeah, and you made me and Pidge look really scary," Hunk said. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I had the best description of everyone's characters."

Shay grabbed his hand. "Your version was most certainly poetic."

"His version was even more off base than mine!" Lance complained.

"I don't know if I want my children to view me as a demon overlord," Shiro said with sad eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe believing our children have demon lineage will give them confidence," Katie rubbed her stomach.

"Katie, don't encourage him," Shiro pleaded.

"She may have a point," Keith pondered. "Although I think my version was more accurate to how the actions played out. Actions speak a lot louder than words."

"Keith, you turned our story into an action epic," Hunk complained. "Not only that, but you nor Lance got the winner of our tower scuffle correct."

"Not this again," Lance rolled his eyes. "Hunk, for the last time, Keith and I were going to be the winners."

"Exactly," Keith agreed. "At least that's one part of the story Lance and I can agree on."

"Yeah, no. I was clearly owning the two of you."

"Okay, figurative winners of that foolish fight aside, that doesn't answer who the real winner of this storytelling contest is," Katie interjected.

"Well, I think you did a fine job," Hunk said.

"I say King Shiro did it better, though," Lance pointed to Shiro.

"I don't know, I thought both the Queen and King were equally good," Keith shrugged.

"Alright, well, we do have judges for a reason," Shiro and the rest faced Coran, Allura, and Matt. "From your viewpoints, who do you think told the story best?"

 

Allura, Coran, and Matt leaned in on one another discussing the verdict. There were nods and hand movements, taking glimpses back at the group. They spoke to the group.

"Well, all of you had a unique way of telling the sequence of events," Allura commented. "I can safely say that this is not an easy decision for how creative you all were."

"Lance's version definitely made these things seem very fantastical and grand," Coran rubbed his mustache. 

Lance smiled.

"Although Lance's version also shifted the focus from the King and Queen to himself." 

Lance frowned.

"Yeah, I'd say Hunk at least tried to focus more on the blooming romance and friendship of my sister and Shiro," Matt said.

Hunk grinned.

"But Hunk also made things seem a bit more...flowery," Allura tilted her head. Hunk gasped, Shay patting his shoulder. "Keith on the other hand, had a way of making it enticing."

"Of course," Keith said in a not-at-all-but-really prideful tone.

"But he did exaggerate just a teensy bit," Coran nearly pinched his fingers together.

Keith huffed.

"Well, what did you think of the Queen and King's versions?" Shay asked.

The three of them looked at each other and nodded.

"The King and Queen had a good way of telling their story," Coran started.

"But they were way too focused on romanticizing the other," Matt finished bluntly.

Shiro and Katie were taken aback. They blushed as they realized there was a point made.

"That still doesn't answer who should be the storyteller," Keith pointed out.

"Hm...," Shay pondered. "What would you recommend for all of these stories to make them better?"

Allura and Coran looked at each other confused. They scratched their heads. Matt, however, answered the question.

"Well, if I were telling the story, I think I'd focus on the real impact they had on other people."

Everyone perked up and paid attention to him.

"I'd tell Katie's children how much their parents meant to other people. How Katie was a piece of our family and how Shiro was a benevolent ruler who wanted to be the best for his kingdom." Matt continued. "I'd emphasize how the people who truly loved them expressed that care compared to the lack of empathy that Haggar had. I think it'd be important for them to know who to trust and who not to trust. I'd tell them that their mom and dad worked to help each other out. Worked to help their friends. How the people they met helped them become better.

Hunk with his benevolence and reasoning. Keith with his dedication and loyalty. Lance with his friendliness and putting others before himself. Coran and Allura for their wisdom and empathy. And Shay for her patience and willingness to listen. My parents, too, for all the years they spent searching for their missing daughter while also never blaming me for her disappearance.

Of course, I wouldn't ignore the action that took place. How everyone put up a good fight even when the odds were against them. How they all fought to cut off any strings to Haggar.

The good, the bad, and all that ever was. Of course, if this is being told to their kids, then I'd make sure to include their birth as an important part of the story. That way, they know that even though their parents' journey came full circle, that the ending lasts longer because of everyone's effort to ensure happiness for the future.

That's how I would tell this story."

Everyone looked at each other.

"What?"

Katie pushed herself up. She waddled over to him, taking Shiro with her. She whispered something in Shiro's ear before speaking to her brother.

"Matt," she grabbed Shiro's fake arm, which shapeshifted into a rod, "I hereby dub thee the official storyteller for our children." She tapped Matt's shoulders with the rod.

"What? Me? But I didn't even go."

"No, but you seem to know more about what to do," Shiro said, shifting his arm back to normal. 

"Yeah, that was really analytical," Lance sighed. "Being a nerd does have its perks."

 Hunk and Keith nodded.

"It was very in depth," Shay clasped her hands together. "It will be good for the children to hear such intricate storytelling."

"Coran and I couldn't agree more," Allura added.

Matt smiled, scratching his cheek.

"Aw, you guys."

 

The rest of the day was spent on leisure time, with discussions about baby showers, how the heirs would be raised and what they would learn, and even a game about potential names for the twins. All were at ease knowing that Matt would be entrusted with passing down the story to his niece and nephew and that no matter what, everything would be fine.

* * *

The prince and princess were born, to the delight of Garrison, Olkarion, and all the other allied kingdoms. Katie, exhausted as she was, smiled at the sight of her husband holding their children, holding them close before passing them on to their grandparents who looked at them tenderly. Their friends remained waiting patiently outside the door to meet the new prince and princess. Matt squeezed Katie's shoulder.

"They're wonderful," he told her. "You should feel proud."

"I am," Katie affirmed. "But you have a job to do now."

"Hm? Isn't it too early?"

Katie shook her head. "Not this second. I mean from now on." She looked back at her babies. "Always mention how much they mean to us."

"As if I could forget," Matt hugged Katie.

 

After some time, Matt was put to his responsibility. Katie was still recovering, but insisted on catching up with a little bit of work alongside Shiro. It had been during this time that Matt got to take care of his niece and nephew, who were swaddled in their crib. He looked down at them, holding a toy in front of them as they grabbed a hold of it.

"Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you the story of how two people who were lost made themselves whole again. It started long ago, with a humble family..."


End file.
